Infective endocarditis complicated with coronary artery septic embolization: is it worth to be mentioned? Case presentation and review of the literature

Mitral Valve Infective Endocarditis Complicated With Coronary Artery Embolization

“…Coronary artery septic embolization occurs in 0.31-0.51% of patients with IE [5]. The most common cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in IE is coronary embolism [7].…”

“…There are no guidelines for the management of ACS due to IE [3]. Treatment options for coronary artery septic embolization include medical therapy (anticoagulation and fibrinolysis), percutaneous coronary angioplasty, balloon or surgical embolectomy, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), and transcatheter septic embolus aspiration [5,6,11]. Medical treatment is probably not effective, because of the small proportion of fibrin and platelets in septic emboli, and can be complicated by hemorrhagic events [6,7,11].…”

“…Infective endocarditis (IE) is a multisystem disease that results from an infection of a heart valve (native or prosthetic), endocardial surface, or indwelling cardiac devices [1][2][3]. Systemic embolization, a lifethreatening complication of IE related to the migration of cardiac vegetations, occurs in 20-50% of patients [4][5][6]. The most common sites for embolization are the brain and spleen in left-sided IE and the pulmonary artery in right-sided IE [4].…”

“…The most common sites for embolization are the brain and spleen in left-sided IE and the pulmonary artery in right-sided IE [4]. Coronary artery septic embolization is a rare and potentially fatal complication of IE [5,7]. It occurs in 0.31-0.51% of patients with IE and represents 1.5-3.5% of all embolic events [5].…”

“…Coronary artery septic embolization is a rare and potentially fatal complication of IE [5,7]. It occurs in 0.31-0.51% of patients with IE and represents 1.5-3.5% of all embolic events [5]. Because of its rarity, the most appropriate treatment remains to be defined [7].…”