Infective Endocarditis-Induced Lung Injury Mimicking Acute Vanishing Lung Syndrome

Oluwafemi Ajibola; Taiwo O Aremu; Olawale Ajibola; Oluwatosin E Oluwole; Bennett P DeBoisblanc

doi:10.7759/cureus.35454

Infective Endocarditis-Induced Lung Injury Mimicking Acute Vanishing Lung Syndrome

Cureus. 2023 Feb 25;15(2):e35454. doi: 10.7759/cureus.35454. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

Oluwafemi Ajibola¹, Taiwo O Aremu^{2

3

4}, Olawale Ajibola⁵, Oluwatosin E Oluwole⁶, Bennett P DeBoisblanc¹

Affiliations

¹ Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, USA.
² Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
⁴ Department of Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
⁵ Medicine, American University of St. Vincent School of Medicine, Kingstown, VCT.
⁶ Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.

Abstract

Infective endocarditis is the infection of the endocardial surface of the heart valve. The right-sided endocarditis can be complicated by pulmonary injury. The pulmonary complications of infective endocarditis include pulmonary embolism, empyema, pleural effusion, lung abscess, and, in rare cases, pneumothorax. We present a case of bilateral pneumatoceles mimicking vanishing lung syndrome, a very rare pulmonary complication of right-sided infective endocarditis.

Keywords: acute vanishing lung syndrome; antibiotics; infective endocarditis; methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (mrsa); pneumatoceles; pneumothoraces; staphylococcus auerus.

Publication types

Case Reports