Acquired atrial septal defect as a complication of endocarditis--a case report

An unusual case of infective endocarditis: extension of a tricuspid valve vegetation into the left atrium through a patent foramen ovale

Tricuspid valve endocarditis frequently occurs in the setting of intravenous drug use. A case of tricuspid valve endocarditis in a 37-year-old woman with a history of intravenous cocaine use is described. Transthoracic echocardiography showed extension of the tricuspid valve mass through a patent foramen ovale and into the left atrium. One week after intravenous antibiotic treatment, the mass no longer traversed the patent foramen ovale, and only two smaller tricuspid valve vegetations remained. The present case demonstrates the value of performing a complete and thorough transthoracic echocardiography to visualize and evaluate both the right- and left-sided consequences of infective endocarditis in intravenous drug users. It also serves as a useful reminder to physicians caring for such patients that right sided endocarditis can have important left-sided complications.

Right-sided endocarditis complicating an atrial septal defect

We report the case of a 45-year-old male patient not addicted to narcotic who presented with an infective endocarditis on the pulmonary valve. He was found to have an uncomplicated secundum-type atrial septal defect. This association is an extremely rare event.