Durandy Y, Hulin S
Institut cardiovasculaire Paris-Sud, France.
Arch Pediatr. 1999 Nov;6(11):1196-8. doi: 10.1016/s0929-693x(00)86304-6.
Acute endocarditis with negative blood culture is a challenge requiring close cooperation between several specialists.
A 15-year-old boy presented with an acute aortic endocarditis due to Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Blood cultures were negative due to an empiric anti-infective therapy. Valvular replacement with a mechanical prosthesis failed to cure the sepsis, which resolved after a cryopreserved allograft implantation.
This case underlines the efficiency of the highly specialized bacteriological centers and the advantages of using a cryopreserved allograft during the septic state.