Background: Pulmonary valve replacement is one of the most common procedures in patients with congenital heart disease. Little is known about prosthetic valve endocarditis in this population.
Objectives: To review management and outcomes of pediatric and adult patients with a prosthetic pulmonary valve or right ventricle-to-pulmonary artery conduit infective endocarditis.
Methods and results: A multiinstitutional cohort of 10 patients is reported. Median age at endocarditis was 24 years (range 8-41 years). The most common causative organisms were Staphylococcus ( n = 4) and Streptococcus species ( n = 2). In addition to medical treatment, 5 patients required surgery. Majors complications such as renal damage, life-threatening hemoptysis, and septic shock were observed. No patient died in hospital or during follow-up.
Conclusions: Pulmonary prosthetic valve endocarditis is a rare condition associated with significant morbidity and a high risk of requiring operative intervention. Larger studies are required to optimize the management.
Keywords: Blood vessel prosthesis implantation; bacterial; congenital; endocarditis; heart defects; heart valve prosthesis implantation; prosthesis-related infections; pulmonary valve.