Endovascular aspiration of native tricuspid valve vegetation using INARI catheter in a patient with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis

ABSTRACT: A middle-aged man presented to the hospital with chief complaint of worsening chest pain and shortness of breath. He was found to have methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia, acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to MSSA pneumonia and septic emboli. The patient underwent a transesophageal echocardiogram which revealed a large, mobile tricuspid valve vegetation secondary to endocarditis. The patient was initially managed conservatively with intravenous antibiotics and supportive measures. However, his respiratory status worsened due to persistence of a large tricuspid valve vegetation which progressed to bilateral septic pulmonary emboli with peripheral cavitary lesions identified on follow-up CT of the chest. In order to debulk the large tricuspid vegetation, the patient successfully underwent endovascular mechanical aspiration of tricuspid valve vegetation utilizing the 20-Fr INARI curved Flowtriever (INARI Medical, CA) catheter. This case highlights a new, minimally invasive technique and device employed in treating native valve vegetations caused by endocarditis as an alternative approach to surgery.