Complications of infective endocarditis.

Complications of infective endocarditis

Infective bacterial endocarditis are classified into cardiac and extracardiac complications

• Cardiac complications:

  • Valvular injury: Rupture, stenosis, aneurysm or abscess formation

  • Myocardial abscesses

  • Suppurative pericarditis

  • Heart failure

• Extracardiac complications

  • Left sided emboli – systemic circulation- systemic disseminated abscesses Eg. Mycotic abscess in brain, spleen, kidneys etc.

  • Right sided emboli – Pulmonary circulation – Lung abscess

  • Capillary blockage and vasculitis leads to petechiae

  • Oslers’s nodes: Painful, tender nodules on the finger tips of hands and feet- due to vasculitis

  • Janeway’s spots: Painless, non-tender subcutaneous maculopapular lesions on the pulp of the fingers

  • Renal failure due to focal necrotizing glomerulonephritis (Immune complex mediated glomerular injury)

References :

• Robbins and Cotran: Pathologic basis of diseases. 8th edition

• Harshmohan: Text book of Pathology. 7th edition

By
Dr.B.Chaitanya (Consultant Pathologist, RDT hospital, Anantapur) (bchaitanya.med@gmail.com)