Treatment of infective endocarditis complicated by peripheral embolism

Abstract

Infective endocarditis still has high mortality and morbidity. Infective endocarditis usually affects the native valve and may lead to non-cardiac complications such as embolism, metastatic infection and septicemia due to the embolus of septic vegetations. Development of heart failure, systemic embolization, and perivalvular abscess are indications for emergency surgery. Complication rate of vegetations which are greater than 10 mm is more than 90% however, the complication rate of vegetations which are less than 10 mm is 48%. Medical treatment alone may not always be sufficient and may lead to more serious complications such as peripheral embolism. Here, we present a patient diagnosed with acute aortic valve infective endocarditis and left femoral artery embolism in the light of current literature.