The Heart Surgery Forum, Volume 7, Issue 4

Candida albicans Endocarditis and a Review of Fungal Endocarditis: Case Report

Ugur Filizcan,¹ Sebnem Cetemen,¹ Yavuz Enc,¹ Mahmut Cakmak,² Onur Goksel,¹ Ergin Eren¹

¹Department of Cardiovascular Surgery,² Department of Cardiology, Dr. Siyami Ersek Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Center, Istanbul, Turkey

ABSTRACT

Endocarditis due to fungal etiology is rare, but it is the most severe form of infective endocarditis. Fungal endocarditis is commonly complicated by systemic embolizations, and the difficulty in isolating the fungi with routine blood cultures complicates the diagnostic process. In these culturenegative cases of endocarditis, etiologic diagnosis is made with histopathologic examination of the cardiac valve, embolic materials, and systemic ulcers. In this case report, the presented patient with fungal endocarditis and its neurologic complications was treated with a surgical and medical approach.

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