Coagulase negative staphylococci are the principal cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis but are a rare cause of native valve infections. However, the incidence of native valve endocarditis is increasing. Staphylococcus capitis is a coagulase negative staphylococcus with the capacity to cause endocarditis on native heart valves. Two cases of native valve endocarditis caused by S capitis are pr...

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a rare but serious complication of cardiac valve replacement surgery and is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Despite significant advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis and management of this disease process, the rates of undesirable outcomes, including mortality directly attributable to infection, remain unacceptably high. ...

Since 1961 a number of reports have been published in which significant hmmolysis has been described in patients following cardiac surgery with extracorporeal circulation. In the majority of cases prosthetic valves had been inserted. In this report we present results of a study made to determine the frequency of mininial as well as overt hmmolysis in a series of patients who underwent open-hear...

The first mechanical heart valve prosthesis, designed by Dr Charles Hufnagel, was implanted to the descending aorta of a 30-year-old woman with severe aortic regurgitation in 1952.1 Eight years after the initial successful prosthetic valve implantation, Dr Harken sutured a prosthetic valve (Starr Edwards Valve) to the aortic annulus after removing the diseased native valve. During the ensuing y...

This report records for the first time the occurrence of isolated subacute bacterial endocarditis involving the tricuspid valve in a patient whose condition evolved into classic tetralogy of Fallot, and who required prosthetic replacement of the valve in addition to surgical therapy for the congenital lesions. Postoperative complete heart block was corrected with implantation of a P-wave synchr...