Case report


Aortic root abscess – a deadly complication of UTI-induced infective endocarditis

Rohan Anand MBA, Jasmin Rahesh MBA, Carlos Morales MD, Pooja Sethi MD

ABSTRACT

Aortic root abscess and endocarditis should be suspected in patients with bradycardia and sepsis. We present a case of a 76-year-old man who presented with a urinary tract infection and sepsis and developed bradycardia and ventricular standstill during his hospital admission. A transthoracic echocardiogram was unrevealing; transesophageal echocardiogram showed prosthetic valve dehiscence, an aortic root abscess, an intracardiac fistula, and tricuspid valve endocarditis. This case highlights the importance of suspecting endocarditis in patients with sepsis and a known source of infection, especially if blood cultures do not clear or conduction abnormalities develop.

Keywords: aortic root abscess, periannular abscess, heart block, infective endocarditis




Article citation: Anand R, Rahesh J, Morales C, Sethi P. Aortic root abscess – a deadly complication of UTI-induced infective endocarditis. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2021;9(41):50–53

From: Department of Surgery (RA, JR) and Department of Internal Medicine (CM, PS), Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas

Submitted: 8/22/2021

Accepted: 9/22/2021

Reviewer: Aliakbar Arvandi MD

Conflicts of interest: none

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