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Background: Patients with prosthetic heart valves (PHV) are at an increased risk of endocarditis and dysfunction. Knowledge about the etiology of dysfunction and extent of endocarditis can have distinct treatment implications. Echocardiography has limitations due to PHV-related artifacts. We hypothesized that computed tomography (CT) will have incremental value over echocardiography for evaluation of PHV abnormalities with surgical findings as the reference standard., Methods: Consecutive patients with PHV that had a reoperation for valve replacement, had a contrast chest CT and echocardiogram within 1 year of the reoperation, between 2010 and 2018 at a single academic center formed the study cohort. CTs and echocardiograms were assessed for potential etiologies of dysfunction (valve degeneration, pannus and thrombus); and for extent of endocarditis (vegetation, abscess, and pseudoaneurysm)., Results: Seventy-three patients (65.8% male, mean age 62.1 ± 16.5 years) formed the study cohort. The indication for reoperation was PHV dysfunction in 51 and PHV endocarditis in 22. Compared to echocardiography, CT diagnosed the etiology of PHV dysfunction in 17 (33.3%) more patients (9 valve degeneration, 8 pannus). In the PHV endocarditis cohort, CT failed to detect one vegetation and one abscess, whereas echocardiography failed to detect 1 abscess. In combination, CT and echocardiography demonstrated all the vegetations and abscesses., Conclusion: CT may provide superior characterization in comparison to echocardiography for the identification of the cause of prosthetic valve dysfunction, and complementary information to echocardiography for the evaluation of prosthetic valve endocarditis., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

With its high temporal and spatial resolution and relatively low radiation exposure, positron emission tomography (PET) is increasingly being used in the management of cardiac patients, particularly those with inflammatory cardiomyopathies such as sarcoidosis. This review discusses the role of PET imaging in assessing myocardial viability, inflammatory cardiomyopathies, and endocarditis; describes the different protocols needed to acquire images for specific imaging tests; and examines imaging interpretation for each image dataset-including identification of the mismatch defect in viability imaging, which is associated with significant improvement in LV function after revascularization. We also review the role of fluorodeoxyglucose PET in cardiac sarcoidosis diagnosis, the complementary role of magnetic resonance imaging in inflammatory cardiomyopathy, and the emerging use of cardiac PET in prosthetic valve endocarditis., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Disclosure: The authors have completed and submitted the Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal Conflict of Interest Statement and none were reported., (© 2020 Houston Methodist Hospital Houston, Texas.)

Background: The data on infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is scarce and limited to case reports and case series in the literature. It is the need of the hour to analyze the available data on post-TAVI infective endocarditis from the available literature. The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the incidence of infective endocarditis after transcatheter aortic valve implantation, its microbiological profile and clinical outcomes. It will help us to improve the antibiotic prophylaxis strategies and treatment options for infective endocarditis in the context of TAVI., Methods: EMBASE, Medline and the CENTRAL trials registry of the Cochrane Collaboration were searched for articles on infective endocarditis in post-TAVI patients till October 2018. Eleven articles were included in the systematic review. The outcomes assessed werethe incidence of infective endocarditis, its microbiological profile andclinical outcomes including major adverse cardiac event (MACE), net adverse clinical event (NACE), surgical intervention and valve-in-valve procedure., Results: The incidence of infective endocarditis varied from 0%-14.3% in the included studies, the mean was3.25%. The average duration of follow-up was 474 days (1.3 years). Enterococci were the most common causative organism isolated from 25.9% of cases followed by Staphylococcus aureus (16.1%) and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species (14.7%). The mean in-hospital mortality and mortality at follow-up was 29.5% and 29.9%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of heart failure, stroke and major bleeding were 37.1%, 5.3% and 11.3%,respectively. Only a single study by Martinez-Selles et al. reported arrhythmias in 20% cases. The septic shock occurred in 10% and 27.7% post-TAVI infective endocarditis patients according to 2 studies. The surgical intervention and valve-in-valve procedure were reported in 11.4% and 6.4% cases, respectively., Conclusion: The incidence of post-TAVI infective endocarditis is low being 3.25% but it is associated with high mortality and complications. The most common complication is heart failure with a cumulative incidence of 37.1%. Enterococciare the most common causative organism isolated from 25.9% of cases followed by Staphylococcus aureus in 16.1% of cases. Appropriate measures should be taken to prevent infective endocarditis in post-TAVI patients including adequate antibiotics prophylaxis directed specifically against these organisms., Study Registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42018115943., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has recently become an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement for patients with severe aortic stenosis. However, paravalvular leaks, possible leaflet thrombosis, and device durability following TAVR remain unresolved issues., Methods and Results: We conducted the first systematic microscopic and macroscopic pathologic analysis of self-expanding CoreValve transcatheter aortic valves removed at autopsy or surgically from the U.S. pivotal trial of extreme- and high-risk patients. Implants were evaluated for histopathologic changes in the valve frame and leaflets. Thrombus/neointima on the leaflets was graded depending on the leaflet thickness and the extent of leaflet involvement. Inflammation, calcification, and structural integrity were also assessed. A total of 21 cases (median age 86.0 years [IQR, 79.0-91.0]), with median duration of implant duration of 17.0 days ranged from 0 to 503 days were evaluated. No valve frame fracture was observed and severe paravalvular gaps were uncommon. Inflammation and thrombus in the valve frame was minimal, but neointimal growth increased overtime. Symptomatic valve thrombosis was observed in one case (5%) and subclinical moderate leaflet thrombus was observed in four additional cases (19%). Inflammation of the leaflets was mild, while structural changes were minimal, and one case had infective endocarditis. Pannus or leaflet calcification were not observed., Conclusions: This first systematic macroscopic and microscopic pathologic analysis of self-expanding transcatheter aortic valves demonstrates favorable short-term pathologic findings. However, our finding of subclinical leaflet thrombus formation confirms prior observations and warrants further investigation., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Despite significant technological advances, the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) remains a major challenge, and the condition continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Valvular vegetations have long been the diagnostic and pathologic hallmarks of IE. However, IE can be diagnosed even in the absence of vegetations using the modified Duke criteria. Vegetation-negative endocarditis is rare, and to the present authors' knowledge no cases of septic emboli in the absence of valvular vegetations have been reported. Herein is reported a case of prosthetic aortic valve endocarditis associated with both clinical and radiologic evidence of septic emboli, but in the absence of vegetations on both repeated transesophageal echocardiography and pathologic evaluation. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high clinical suspicion and a low threshold for the surgical replacement of a possibly infected valve, in patients that meet other clinical criteria for IE, even in the absence of detectable valvular vegetations.

Campylobacter spp. are Gram-negative, spiral motile bacteria. Infections caused by Campylobacter fetus are frequently of invasive character, but they are very rare. The described case of infection of a cardioverter defibrillator implantation site was effectively cured with antibiotics, but it required removal of the cardioverter defibrillator.

Cardiac device infections (CDIs) continue to be a serious clinical problem, with varying terminology and different classifications constituting one of the major diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in routine clinical practice. The problem invariably arises during an attempt to estimate the extent of the infection, which in consequence determines the choice of treatment strategy (duration of antibiotic therapy). The most serious form of CDI is lead-related infective endocarditis (LRIE). There are no clearly established diagnostic criteria for this disease; the available Duke University criteria are difficult to apply in patients with a suspicion of LRIE because of low sensitivity. As the treatment of LRIE is expensive and troublesome, there is a tendency to underdiagnose this condition and seek any intermediary forms between local pocket infection and definite LRIE. The present review includes suggestions for the systematization of CDIs with a clear definition of LRIE as a separate and most severe entity among CDIs.

Corynebacterium (C.) kroppenstedtii is a rarely detected agent of bacterial infections in humans. Here, we describe the first case of prosthetic valve endocarditis caused by C. kroppenstedtii. Application of molecular methods using surgically excised valve tissue was a cornerstone for the establishment of the microbiological diagnosis, which is crucial for targeted antimicrobial treatment., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Mycoplasma spp. are rarely recognized agents of infective endocarditis. We report a case of Mycoplasma hominis prosthetic valve endocarditis diagnosed by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) PCR and culture of valves in a 74-year-old man. We reviewed the literature and found only 8 other cases reported., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Mycobacterium spp. are a rare cause of endocarditis. Herein, we describe a case of Mycobacterium mageritense prosthetic valve endocarditis. This organism produced an unusual brown pigment on solid media. Cultures of valve tissue for acid-fast bacilli might be considered in some cases of apparently culture-negative prosthetic valve endocarditis., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Background: The impact of early valve surgery (EVS) on the outcome of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVIE) is unresolved. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between EVS, performed within the first 60 days of hospitalization, and outcome of SA PVIE within the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study., Methods: Participants were enrolled between June 2000 and December 2006. Cox proportional hazards modeling that included surgery as a time-dependent covariate and propensity adjustment for likelihood to receive cardiac surgery was used to evaluate the impact of EVS and 1-year all-cause mortality on patients with definite left-sided S. aureus PVIE and no history of injection drug use., Results: EVS was performed in 74 of the 168 (44.3%) patients. One-year mortality was significantly higher among patients with S. aureus PVIE than in patients with non-S. aureus PVIE (48.2% vs 32.9%; P = .003). Staphylococcus aureus PVIE patients who underwent EVS had a significantly lower 1-year mortality rate (33.8% vs 59.1%; P = .001). In multivariate, propensity-adjusted models, EVS was not associated with 1-year mortality (risk ratio, 0.67 [95% confidence interval, .39-1.15]; P = .15)., Conclusions: In this prospective, multinational cohort of patients with S. aureus PVIE, EVS was not associated with reduced 1-year mortality. The decision to pursue EVS should be individualized for each patient, based upon infection-specific characteristics rather than solely upon the microbiology of the infection causing PVIE., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

It is important to identify clinical manifestations of lead-dependent infective endocarditis (LDIE), as it begins insidiously with the slow development of nonspecific symptoms. Clinical data from 414 patients with the diagnosis of LDIE according to Modified Duke Lead Criteria (MDLC) were analyzed. Patients with LDIE had been identified in a population of 1,426 subjects submitted to transvenous lead extraction (TLE) in the Reference Clinical Cardiology Center in Lublin between 2006 and 2013. The symptoms of LDIE and pocket infection were detected in 62.1 % of patients. The mean duration of LDIE symptoms prior to referral for TLE was 6.7 months. Fever and shivers were found in 55.3 % of patients, and pulmonary infections in 24.9 %. Vegetations were detected in 67.6 % of patients, and positive cultures of blood, lead, and pocket in 34.5, 46.4, and 30.0 %, respectively. The most common pathogens in all type cultures were coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), with Staphylococcus epidermidis domination; the second most common organism was Staphylococcus aureus. 76.3 % of patients were treated with empirical antibiotic therapy before hospitalization due to TLE. In the laboratory tests, the mean white blood cell count was 9,671 ± 5,212/μl, mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate 43 mm, C-reactive protein (CRP) 46.3 mg/dl ± 61, and procalcitonin 1.57 ± 4.4 ng/ml. The multivariate analysis showed that the probability of LDIE increased with increasing CRP. The diagnosis of LDIE based on MDLC may be challenging because of a relatively low sensitivity of major criteria, which is associated with early antibiotic therapy and low usefulness of minor criteria. The important clinical symptoms of LDIE include fever with shivering and recurrent pulmonary infections. The most specific pathogens were Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus. Laboratory tests most frequently revealed normal white blood cell count, relatively rarely elevated procalcitonin level, and significantly increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and CRP. This constellation of signs should prompt a more thorough search for LDIE.

Background: The incidence of cardiac implantable electrical device endocarditis (CIEDE) is increasing, but CIEDE remains a relatively poorly described infection. This case series describes our experience of the condition at a tertiary referral centre in London over a 12-y period., Methods: We identified cases using an endocarditis database containing prospectively collected clinical and microbiological information. We also used data recorded in an electronic database of all cardiac implantable electrical device-related procedures., Results: Thirty cases of CIEDE were treated at our institution during the study period. Presentation was most commonly with fever, and 93% of our patients had positive blood cultures. Vegetations were identified on echocardiography in only 70% of patients, although a transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) was performed in only half of the cases. Sixty-seven percent of our cases were defined as definite endocarditis according to the modified Duke criteria for infective endocarditis. Twenty-three patients underwent percutaneous explantation of their infected CIED (including 6 patients with vegetations greater than 10 mm in diameter), while 5 underwent surgical explantation. The overall in-hospital mortality was 17%., Conclusions: Our data confirm the life-threatening nature of CIEDE in a UK population. In addition, our experience suggests that percutaneous extraction of devices with large adherent vegetations may be safe, and that the selective use of TOE may not compromise outcomes. Lastly, we show that the modified Duke criteria do not perform very well with this condition, suggesting a need for specific, validated criteria for diagnosing CIEDE.

Background: Prosthetic valve endocarditis presents unique challenges for both diagnosis and treatment. A potential role of biofilm has been hypothesized in the pathogenesis of these infections., Methods: A patient with infective endocarditis involving a stentless (Freestyle) porcine prosthetic aortic valve with annular abscess and paravalvular leak 8 months after implantation is reported., Results: The infected valve did not show vegetations or perforations, but histiocytic inflammation was seen along the endocardial surfaces of the valve. Auramine-rhodamine staining revealed many acid-fast organisms associated with the inflammation. There was also an acellular matrix material with ultrastructural features of biofilm. Blood cultures grew Mycobacterium fortuitum, a biofilm-associated microbe., Conclusions: The role of biofilm in prosthetic valve endocarditis is discussed. The importance of microscopy for prosthetic valves, even when no vegetations are present, is highlighted along with correlation of pathologic findings with culture results., (Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: The aim of our study was to characterize specific tissue reaction of encapsulating lead tissue in patients who underwent transvenous lead removal and evaluate condition of the outer leads' insulation., Methods and Results: Fifty-six leads (27 atrial, 24 ventricular, 5 implantable cardioverter-defibrillators) were removed from 31 patients (mean age 70 years). Indications for removal were chronic pocket infection (CPI) (9 patients ), infective endocarditis (IE) (6), and non-infective indications (NI) (16). Leads with their surrounding tissue were fixed in paraformaldehyde. Tissues were embedded in paraffin wax, stained with haematoxylin-eosin, and examined histologically. The outer leads' insulations were examined in stereomicroscope. The mean lead age encapsulated by connective tissue sheath was 89, whereas encapsulated by granulation tissue was 47.34 months (P= 0.03). Calcification was present in 13 patients. Haemosiderine was observed only in patients with severe abrasion with perforation in the pocket (P= 0.04). Vasculogenesis was present in one (6%) with NI, five (56%) with CPI, and three (50%) with IE (P= 0.02) and was associated with elevated white blood cells (WBC) (P= 0.04). Eosinophilia was associated with elevated WBC (P= 0.04). The most frequently observed are third level of degradation (severe with perforation) in the intracardiac part of the silicone leads. Insulation damage due to environmental stress cracking concerned all leads with polyurethane overlay., Conclusions: Granulation in encapsulating tissue was present in patients with younger leads. Vasculogenesis was observed more often in IE and CPI patients, which might indirectly indicate thickness of the sheath. Eosinophila may indicate allergic component of inflammation. Insulation damage frequently concerned the intracardiac part.

Fungal prosthetic valve endocarditis is an infrequent but serious complication of valve replacement surgery. Approximately 75% of patients are affected with Candida species. Scopulariopsis species affecting prosthetic valve is rarely reported in the literature., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fungal prosthetic valve endocarditis is a rare but devastating disease. To better characterise this syndrome, we retrospectively reviewed 21 cases of fungal prosthetic valve endocarditis seen at Mayo Clinic over the past 40 years. The average patient age was 65 years with a 2 : 1 male predominance. Twelve of 21 cases (57%) occurred within 1 year of prosthetic valve placement. The aortic valve was most commonly affected, and the most common aetiological agent was Candida species, followed by Histoplasma capsulatum. Although 20 of 21 patients (95%) were immunocompetent, they had other risk factors for fungal infection. Patients typically presented with systemic signs and symptoms of infection, and cardiac imaging was abnormal in 68% of cases. Pathological evaluation of valve material was of high yield, with organisms identified in 92% of cases who underwent valve replacement surgery or had an autopsy performed. Prosthetic valve fungal endocarditis was associated with a high morbidity and mortality, with 67% of patients experiencing complications and 57% of patients dying of infection-related disease. Hopefully, with the prompt institution of early medical therapy, surgical intervention and lifelong oral antifungal suppressive therapy, cure rates will continue to improve., (© 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.)

Background: Identification of the causative pathogen may be challenging in culture negative infective endocarditis (IE)., Methods: A 4 month-old 21-trisomic boy with congenital atrioventricular septal defect presented 3 episodes of dehiscence of his prosthetic patch, attributed to IE. He presented heart failure, but neither fever, nor inflammatory syndrome., Results: Surgical and histopathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of IE, but blood cultures remained sterile. Extensive work up failed to demonstrate bacterial or fungal etiology. Coxsackie B2 virus was cultured from the excised patch, nasopharyngeal secretions and stools., Conclusions: Viral IE has only been described in animal models. This case is the first reported probable human viral IE. We suggest that a viral etiology should be considered in case of culture negative IE.

We report a case of Histoplasma capsulatum endocarditis in which Histoplasma antigen assay and fungal blood cultures were negative. The diagnosis was made by microscopic examination and culture of the excised valve. Histoplasma capsulatum should be considered in the differential diagnosis of culture-negative endocarditis in regions where it is endemic and in travelers.

A 77-year-old female initially presented with symptomatic mitral valve stenosis involving a bioprosthesis that had been implanted 8 months earlier for myxomatous mitral valve disease and severe valvular regurgitation. The patient was taken for a second mitral valve replacement due to stenosis. Intraoperatively, the bioprosthetic mitral valve was noted to have an unusual clot-like mass on the atrial side. Initial fungal smears were positive for yeast stains, and pathology revealed extensive colonization by thick filamentous fungus with apparent true hyphae, pseudohyphae, and yeast forms. The fungus was identified as Hormographiella aspergillata, the asexual form of Coprinus cinereus, a common inky cap mushroom that grows in the lawn. She was treated with 6 weeks of liposomal amphotericin B and then switched to voriconazole for long-term (lifelong) suppressive therapy in the setting of a new mechanical mitral valve. The only other reported case of infective endocarditis caused by a Coprinus species occurred in a 53-year-old man who had developed native aortic valve fungal endocarditis and died [J Med Microbiol (1971);4(3):370-4]. The valve isolate was identified as probable C. cinereus.

Background: Histological demonstration of microorganisms, vegetations, or active endocarditis in cardiac valve tissue is included in the Duke criteria and is considered to be a criterion of confirmed infective endocarditis. However, the histological features that characterize infective endocarditis are not accurately defined at the qualitative and quantitative levels., Methods: Pathologic analysis of tissue adjoining mechanical cardiac valves was undertaken retrospectively for 21 patients who underwent surgical removal of a mechanical valve because of suspected infective endocarditis and 69 patients who underwent surgical removal of a mechanical valve because of noninfectious dysfunction. To better define the histological criteria for infective endocarditis, we used quantitative image analysis to compare these 2 groups of patients with respect to valvular fibrosis, calcifications, vegetations, patterns of inflammation, and vascularization., Results: Histologically, infective endocarditis in patients with mechanical valves was characterized by the demonstration of microorganisms, vegetations, and significant neutrophil-rich inflammatory infiltrates with extensive neovascularization. In contrast, valve tissue specimens from patients with mechanical valves that were removed because of noninfectious complications showed significant rates of extensive fibrosis and, when present, inflammatory infiltrates that were mainly composed of macrophages and lymphocytes. A neutrophil surface area with a cutoff value of > or =2% of the total valve tissue surface is highly predictive of (90%) and specific for (98%) infective endocarditis., Conclusions: When no microorganisms are detected and vegetations are lacking in tissue adjacent to a mechanical valve, neutrophil-rich inflammation and extensive neovascularization might better histologically define the term "active endocarditis" in the Duke criteria. This definition would allow differentiation between infective endocarditis and inflammatory noninfectious valve processes in patients with mechanical cardiac valves.

Fungal endocarditis is rare and is usually caused by Aspergillus and Candida species. We present a patient with endocarditis caused by Scopulariopsis brevicaulis. The patient had a history of mitral valve disease and, 1 year earlier, had undergone valvuloplasty with the placement of a prosthetic Duran ring in the mitral valve position. S. brevicaulis was cultured from samples of a large vegetation on the mitral valve apparatus. The mitral valve was replaced with a St. Jude mechanical prosthesis. The patient was treated with amphotericin B but was later switched to oral itraconazole when antibiotic tests indicated susceptibility to that agent. We believe this is the 1st reported case of endocarditis caused by Scopulariopsis.

When active infective endocarditis (IE) involves a bioprosthetic valve, the infective process may involve only the cusps or sewing ring or both. We studied 34 patients with infected bioprostheses to determine whether the infection involved the cusps or ring, or both, because these locations could affect prognosis. In the 5 patients in whom active IE began < 60 days after operation, the infection involved the cusps only in 2, the ring only in 2, and both in 1. The 29 patients in whom signs and symptoms of active IE appeared > 60 days after valve replacement were subdivided into 3 categories based on the valve or valves replaced. In the 16 patients with isolated aortic valve replacement, the infection involved the cusps only in 6, the ring only in 4, and both in 6. In the 6 patients with isolated mitral valve replacement, the infection involved the cusps only in 2, the ring only in 1, and both in 3. In the remaining 7 patients, 15 native valves were replaced with bioprostheses, and 10 of them were infected. The infection involved the cusps only in 7, and both the cusps and ring in 3. Of all 34 patients, 13 had operative excision of the infected bioprosthesis: 1 died within 60 days of the bioprosthetic excision, and 1 was lost to follow-up; of the remaining 11 patients, 4 died late (1.5, 3, 5 and 14 years), and the other 7 are alive 5 to 10 years after bioprosthetic excision (all in New York Heart Association functional class I or II). Thus, although infection limited to the bioprosthetic cusps may reasonably allow a better outlook, reoperation with infection involving the annular ring (8 of 13 reoperation patients) does not prevent successful outcome.

Fungal endocarditis after cardiac surgery has been noticed increasingly in the past decade. We report a case of Candida parapsilosis endocarditis after mitral valve replacement in a patient with no predisposing factors. In this report we mainly examined the pathological findings in this patient with post-mortem examination.

Most of the increasing numbers of cases of Candida endocarditis have developed after cardiac surgery. We report a case of Candida parapsilosis endocarditis after mitral valve replacement in a patient with no predisposing factors. In this report we mainly examined the pathological findings in this patient with postmortem examination. A woman, age 55, underwent valve replacement with a Björk-Shiley prosthesis for mitral stenosis. The spike fever occurred on the 22nd postoperative day and Candida parapsilosis was cultured from the blood. On the 76th day, a conscious disturbance with the right side hemiplegia was experienced. A CT scan revealed massive hemorrhagic infarction. Despite the intensive care the patient died of cerebral damage. Pathologic findings showed that the vegetation in the major orifice of the Björk-Shiley valve was composed of both necrotic debris and tissue, with Candida organisms being scattered throughout the interstices. Additionally there were also multiple myocardial abscesses with necrotic tissue.