Infective Endocarditis with Unusual Location of Vegetation in a Patient with Hemodialysis Followed by Recurrent Catheter-Related Blood Stream Infection

Abstract

The incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) in hemodialysis patients is higher than the general population. Hemodialysis patients with IE have a poorer prognosis than other patients with IE. The most common sites of IE in hemodialysis patients are the mitral valve and aortic valve. A 47-year-old woman had suffered from recurrent catheter-related blood stream infection and she was strongly suspected of IE. Despite repeated transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), IE was revealed several months later by TEE due to the unusual location of the vegetation. The vegetation was detected on the left ventricle outflow tract. She recovered well without any complication after mitral valve replacement surgery.