Tricuspid-valve repair for pacemaker leads endocarditis.

In non-addicted patients, several states, such as permanent pacemakers, can provide the predisposing factors for tricuspid-valve endocarditis. In this report, we present a case of a 66-year-old man with pacemaker lead infection and tricuspid-native-valve endocarditis, related to Staphylococcus hominis, very rare cause of infective endocarditis that carries a high-mortality risk. Surgery was indicated for the patient due to persistent enlarging vegetation on the tricuspid valve, severe tricuspid regurgitation, septic pulmonary emboli and finally uncompensated respiratory and heart failure. Many ingenious methods have been devised to repair the tricuspid valve in patients with infective endocarditis. Valve replacement, however, is hazardous due to the possibility of prosthetic infection, and we choose to repair the native valve. The patient has now been weel for 3 years.