Department of Emergency Medicine, and Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Calgary, Alberta
Russ A. Lam
Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Calgary, Alberta
Mark Bromley
Department of Emergency Medicine, and Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Calgary, Alberta
Melanie Willimann
Department of Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine Calgary, Alberta
Pediatric endocarditis, a rare entity in developed countries, remains a challenging diagnosis to make in children. We present an uncommon etiology of shortness of breath on exertion (SOBOE) in a 7-year-old male presenting with two weeks of nocturnal fever, malaise and fatigue following a viral prodrome. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) led to suspicion for a ventricular septal defect (VSD) with tricuspid valve (TV) endocarditis, which was ultimately confirmed by formal echocardiography. This ultrasound diagnosis allowed emergency clinicians to order blood cultures under the suspicion of endocarditis as well as expedited antibiotic treatment.
