Mycotic aneurysm as a complication of infective endocarditis - a case report.

introduction The first mention of the clinical aspects of infectious endocarditis (IE) comes from French physician Jean François Fernel in the 16th century.1 However, appropriate treatment only started being implemented more than a century later, when the presence of microorganisms as the cause of the disease was identified.2 IE normally affects the native valves as a primary site, being the mitral valve the most common.3 In the last thirty years there have been important advancements in the diagnostic and therapeutic methods for the disease, which despite the low incidence in the population in general, still presents a poor prognosis and high mortality rate.4,5,6 IE complications appear in 60% of patients, being mycotic aneurysm one of the most serious. Caused by weakening of the vessel walls, it is clinically recognized in 3-10% of IE cases.7 The most dramatic event is subarachnoid hemorrhage, which usually occurs in the stage of bacteremia.6 cAse report