Malgré les progrès réalisés dans le traitement de l’insuffisance rénale chronique, l’accès vasculaire reste le maillon faible dans la thérapie de suppléance extrarénale et la principale source de morbidité chez les patients hémodialysés. Nous rapportons l’observation d’une jeune patiente ayant une insuffisance rénale chronique secondaire à une néphropathie vasculaire en hémodialyse périodique, confrontée précocement à un épuisement de son capital vasculaire, en raison de thromboses itératives des fistules artério-veineuses et l’échec de la dialyse péritonéale. Un déficit en protéine C a été objectivé. Elle a bénéficié de la mise en place d’un cathéter tunnelisé au niveau de l’oreillette droite par thoracotomie antéro-latérale droite à travers la veine cave inférieure non fonctionnel au bout de trois mois de son utilisation. Elle est depuis dialysée par ponction des veines jugulaires externes.

Tunnelled catheter endocarditis is a frequent and sever situation among hemodialysis patients. The management should be fast and multidisciplinary.Case report: We report the case of a 36 year old woman with a history of systemic erythematous lupus, discovered at the age of twenty. She profited from a tunneled catheter because of exhaustion of her venous capital. One year later, the patient had an endocarditis of the tricuspid valve. An echocardiogram demonstrated mobile and friable 8 mm vegetation in the tricuspid valve. Blood cultures were positive for pseudomonas and klebsiella. The catheter was removed at the fifth day of the infection. The patient received antibiotic treatment which was changed on several occasions in front of multiresistant strains. Ten days later, the blood culture showed Candida albicans. The echocardiogram demonstrated an increase of the size of the vegetation to 15 mm. A chest CT carried out in front of a respiratory distress showed pulmonary septic emboli. Tricuspid valve replacement was performed. Culture of native valve was positive for multiresistant candida famata. The patient developed a pulmonary embolism causing her death.Discussion: Endocarditis with permanent catheter is a severe situation with high mortality and poor prognosis among hemodialysis patients. Immune suppression due to a renal failure and auto immune disease can support the development of multiresistant strains difficult to treat. Conclusion:Endocarditis on tunneled catheter is a serious infection. Nephrologists, cardiologists and infectiologists must collaborate in order to provide adequate therapy.