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Query: UMLS:C0034065 (pulmonary embolism)
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This report reviews the present status of cardiovascular surgery in West Africa and highlights some of the constraints of development in this field.Rheumatic heart disease is still endemic in the tropics, where it constitutes about 20 percent of all cases of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in Nigeria. Endomyocardial fibrosis is a disease of unknown etiology accounting for 10 to 20 percent of cases. Purulent pericarditis is a common complication of pyomyositis and osteomyelitis found in 5 percent of patients. Chronic constrictive pericarditis is a sequela of infective pericarditis found in 5 percent of all cases of CVD. Calcification is found in 30 percent of cases and pericardiectomy can be performed successfully without cardiopulmonary bypass. Infective endocarditis is equally rare, occurring in 2.5 percent of cases; it is a common source of septic emboli to coronary artery and a very difficult disease to treat in the West African environment.Ischemic heart disease is relatively uncommon, accounting for less than 0.5 percent of patients. The rarity of the disease in black Africans has been attributed to dietary habits and environment rather than to racial and psychosocial factors. Congenital heart disease accounts for 5 percent of all cases of CVD in this review. Ventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus are the most common acyanotic defects, while tetralogy of Fallot and transposition of the great arteries are the most common cyanotic defects.Vascular diseases are uncommon in this series, with traumatic injuries accounting for most of the cases. Abdominal aortic aneurysms, peripheral occlusive vascular disease, and atherosclerotic aortic aneurysms are quite rare. This review further confirms the rarity of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in Africans.
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PMID:The status of cardiovascular surgery in West Africa. 331 74

In order to determine whether endocardial lesions that developed in relation to an indwelling catheter in the right heart had any significance or characteristics, a study with clinicopathologic correlations was performed in which a total of 57 hearts were found to have right heart endocardial lesions at necropsy. Some of our findings fall within the range of results of various similar studies, e.g., clinical backgrounds and incidence in which these lesions occur. However, others do not; pulmonary embolism was preexisting and coexisting rather than attributable to the heart lesions. Right heart lesions occur significantly more often (P less than 0.01) in patients who received a right heart catheter than those who did not. The morphologic features of these endocardial lesions are sufficiently characteristic to indicate not only that an intracardiac catheter had been present but even what type of catheter it was. Infective endocarditis was found in seven catheterized patients. This process has a tendency to involve valves transmurally, indicating possible need for prosthetic valve replacement if any patients were to survive the underlying disease. Traumatic perforation of the endocardium was uncommon. With the aid of careful indications and strict adherence to guidelines, the risk of fatality from these lesions is extremely unlikely.
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PMID:Right heart catheter lesions: any significance? 646 78

he recent advances in surgical treatment of congenital heart disease, permits the survival of those cases to adult life. Infective endocarditis in the childhood is becoming increasingly important. We studied 32 cases in the pediatric cardiology ward at the INC between 1977 and 1981. There was a male predominance of 62.5%. Rheumatic heart disease (40.7%), congenital heart disease (15.6%) and postoperative cases (43.7%) were the underlying conditions. There was an average time of 43 days delay from the first symptom to diagnosis. Blood cultures were taken in 29 cases (90.6%). Only half of them were positive. Staphylococcus and streptococcus were the commonest isolates. Peripheral and pulmonary embolism (11 cases-34.4%) were the most frequent complications. In those cases with negative blood culture the most successful antibiotic combination was ampicillin or oxacillin plus aminoglucosides (56%). There were 17 deaths (53%).
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PMID:[Infectious endocarditis in children]. 674 35

Infective endocarditis was diagnosed in a 15-yr-old patient following closure of a patent ductus arteriosus several weeks previously. Pulmonic valve vegetations were detected by both M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms. The serial echocardiographic examinations revealed the emergence of a vegetation on the pulmonic valve, a marked decrease in its size subsequent to pulmonary embolism, reemergence of a vegetation upon relapse of the disease and its resolution 4 mo later. The echocardiographic findings and their correlation to the various stages of the disease are described.
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PMID:Serial two-dimensional echocardiography in infective endocarditis of the pulmonic valve. 683 49

Infective endocarditis is a rare but serious complication of permanent cardiac pacing with high mortality ranging from 10 to 30%. Clinical symptoms are sometimes acute but more often poor and aspecific in subacute and chronic forms causing prolonged diagnostic delay. In order to make endocarditis on pacemaker leads clearer, we conducted a medline search of all published literature. Analysis of this literature shows that the initial infective source is often local and that Staphylococcus species are the most often pathogens isolated. Clinicians have to search carefully for local inflammatory signs, past or ongoing, and pulmonary embolism because their presence will be helpful for diagnosis. Transoesophageal echocardiography is essential; it shows vegetations in more than 90% and must be repeated when the examination is negative. Treatment has a double goal: a prophylactic treatment in order to reduce risk factors of infection related to implantation of the pacemaker and a curative treatment associating prolonged antibiotic therapy with extraction of the material.
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PMID:[Infective endocarditis related to pacemaker leads. A review]. 1110 24

Infective endocarditis has been the major cause of morbidity and mortality among intravenous drug users (IDUs) with infections, mostly involving the tricuspid valve and presenting multiple septic pulmonary embolisms. Numerous pulmonary complications of septic pulmonary embolism have been described, but only a few have reported spontaneous pneumothorax. Our patient, a 23-year-old heroin addict, was hospitalized for tricuspid endocarditis and septic pulmonary embolism. Acute onset of respiratory distress occurred on his seventh hospital day and rapidly resulted in hypoxemia. Immediate bedside chest radiograph demonstrated left pneumothorax. It was thought to be a spontaneous pneumothorax, because he had not undergone any invasive procedure before the occurrence of pneumothorax. His clinical condition improved after the insertion of an intercostal chest tube. He later underwent surgery to replace the tricuspid valve as a result of the large size of the vegetation and poor control of infection. He ultimately survived. Pneumothorax is a possible lethal complication of septic pulmonary embolism in IDUs with right-sided endocarditis and should be considered in such patients when respiratory distress occurs acutely during their hospitalization.
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PMID:Spontaneous pneumothorax as a complication of septic pulmonary embolism in an intravenous drug user: a case report. 1656 26

The eustachian valve is an embryological remnant of the inferior vena cava valve that is absent or inconspicuous in the adult. Even when prominent, it is considered to be a benign finding. The present report describes a patient with deep venous thrombosis who had recurrent pulmonary embolism despite thrombolysis and anticoagulation. He was found to have an adherent thrombus on the eustachian valve and his symptoms resolved completely following surgical thrombectomy. The present report highlights that the eustachian valve can, on rare occasions, harbour pathology and can adversely impact the outcomes of coexisting medical problems such as deep venous thrombosis. Infective endocarditis, pulmonary embolism and systemic embolism via a patent foramen ovale are the major complications of eustachian valve pathology. Transesophageal echocardiography appears to be superior to transthoracic echocardiography in identifying eustachian valve pathology and should be considered in all patients with thromboembolism without a known source.
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PMID:Thrombus on the eustachian valve leading to recurrent pulmonary embolism: a rare problem requiring aggressive management. 1996 Jan 37

Infective endocarditis is a rare complication of patent ductus arteriosus nowadays. About two patients, aged 7 and 5 years old, we diagnosed and treated a patent ductus arteriosus complicated with an infective vegetative endocarditis with a risk of pulmonary embolism. We report in this observation this clinical and surgical experience.
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PMID:[Infective endocarditis complicating patent ductus arteriosus: emergency surgical treatment of two cases]. 2127 57

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an uncommon but life-threatening infection. Despite advances in management, it still causes high morbidity and mortality. We report the case of an 8-year-old girl who presented with a prolonged fever of 2.5 months duration and a history of a small perimembranous ventricular septal defect. She was diagnosed with subacute bacterial endocarditis secondary to Streptococcus mutans. The patient developed a septic pulmonary embolism; however, with the use of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, she made an uneventful recovery. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for IE as the possible cause of a prolonged fever, especially in the presence of congenital heart disease (CHD). Currently, IE prophylaxis is not indicated for unrepaired acyanotic CHD. Nevertheless, with the new changes in the guidelines, more prospective studies are needed to investigate the incidence of IE in such lesions, before long-term conclusions can be drawn.
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PMID:Complicated subacute bacterial endocarditis in a patient with ventricular septal defect. 2451 45