Abstract:

Infective endocarditis is a disease characterized by endocardial surface infection of the heart with high mortality and morbidity. The infection mostly involves heart valves, defects, or permanent heart devices. The aim of this case is to present a young patient with mitral valve involvement and infective endocarditis who is an intravenous drug abuser. A 26-year-old male patient was admitted to the Trakya University School of Medicine Hospital Emergency Service with complaints of fever and shortness of breath lasting for 10 days. The patient had no medical history other than active smoking and intravenous drug use. On physical examination of the patient, an apical 2/6 systolic murmur was detected. Transthoracic echocardiography performed with the suspicion of infective endocarditis revealed a large mobile mass in the mitral valve. Transesophageal echocardiography was performed to confirm the diagnosis. This revealed an open foramen ovale pattern and moderate mitral regurgitation. Increased inflammatory parameters and positive blood cultures for Staphylococcus aureus were detected in the laboratory. The patient was operated on for mitral valve replacement with a definitive diagnosis of infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis is a disease that can be difficult to diagnose because of its clinical presentations similar to other diseases. Therefore, infective endocarditis should be considered in the etiology of fever, unexplained worsening of general condition, and a newly developed heart murmur, especially in people using intravenous drugs.

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