Background
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious disease that
requires prompt recognition and early treatment to
minimize morbidity and mortality. However, it remains
an elusive diagnosis for the emergency physician (EP)
due to its protean manifestations. Fever, murmur, and
peripheral emboli are the characteristic clinical findings,
but these clues may not be present in some patients or
early in the course of the illness. The Duke criteria are a
widely used collection of clinical and microbiologic
findings that emphasize echocardiography and blood
cultures as major criteria in the diagnosis of IE [1].
Prolonged hospitalization is usually necessary to collect
the clinical data necessary to fulfill the Duke criteria.
Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is often the initial
imaging study performed to evaluate IE, followed by
transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) if needed.
While echocardiography is traditionally performed in
the cardiology laboratory as part of the inpatient evaluation,
bedside emergency ultrasound (EUS) may allow for
earlier diagnosis in the emergency department (ED) by
demonstrating cardiac valvular vegetations. Published
reports indicate that vegetations as small as 6 mm maybe seen on TTE [2]. Valvular incompetence in the setting
of a vegetation is both a diagnostic and prognostic
tool and can be diagnosed by color flow Doppler imaging.
Positive findings suggestive of IE on bedside EUS
can enable the EP to more rapidly initiate appropriate
antibiotics and to obtain prompt consultation for a diagnosis
that is not often made in the ED. In this case report,
we describe how bedside EUS expedited the
diagnosis, disposition, and treatment of a patient with
confirmed IE.
Background
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious disease that
requires prompt recognition and early treatment to
minimize morbidity and mortality. However, it remains
an elusive diagnosis for the emergency physician (EP)
due to its protean manifestations. Fever, murmur, and
peripheral emboli are the characteristic clinical findings,
but these clues may not be present in some patients or
early in the course of the illness. The Duke criteria are a
widely used collection of clinical and microbiologic
findings that emphasize echocardiography and blood
cultures as major criteria in the diagnosis of IE [1].
Prolonged hospitalization is usually necessary to collect
the clinical data necessary to fulfill the Duke criteria.
Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) is often the initial
imaging study performed to evaluate IE, followed by
transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) if needed.
While echocardiography is traditionally performed in
the cardiology laboratory as part of the inpatient evaluation,
bedside emergency ultrasound (EUS) may allow for
earlier diagnosis in the emergency department (ED) by
demonstrating cardiac valvular vegetations. Published
reports indicate that vegetations as small as 6 mm maybe seen on TTE [2]. Valvular incompetence in the setting
of a vegetation is both a diagnostic and prognostic
tool and can be diagnosed by color flow Doppler imaging.
Positive findings suggestive of IE on bedside EUS
can enable the EP to more rapidly initiate appropriate
antibiotics and to obtain prompt consultation for a diagnosis
that is not often made in the ED. In this case report,
we describe how bedside EUS expedited the
diagnosis, disposition, and treatment of a patient with
confirmed IE.
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