[Recurrent bacterial endocarditis on mitral and aortic biological prostheses in young drug addicts. The role of transthoracic cardiac echo-Doppler in the diagnosis and assessment of postendocarditis dysfunction].
Bioprosthetic infective endocarditis is a very serious complication since both medical and surgical treatment is associated with a high mortality. We describe a case of a young drug addict who presented 3 recurrent episodes of bacterial endocarditis of mitral and aortic bioprosthetic valves, caused by different virulent germs. All 3 episodes were resolved by medical therapy, but the residual aortic bioprosthetic dysfunction was important and the patient died before surgical replacement. Which was not considered an emergency since the patient was asymptomatic, did not present heart failure and left ventricular function was preserved. Color-Doppler echocardiography permitted us to visualize the vegetations and to establish and follow the evolution of residual bioprosthetic dysfunction.