Recurrent lung nodules as a presentation of ventricular septal defect‐related endocarditis

Abstract

Infective endocarditis is an uncommon microbial infection of the endocardial surface of the heart. Patients with structural heart disease, such as a ventricular septal defect, are at higher risk for infective endocarditis and clinicians must have a high index of suspicion in such patients presenting with recurrent fevers. We present a patient with a known ventricular septal defect presenting with recurrent fevers associated with migratory lung nodules following a “low‐risk” dental procedure without antibiotic prophylaxis. The unusual presentation delayed the diagnosis of the migratory lung lesions as septic pulmonary emboli and consequentially the diagnosis of ventricular septal defect related infective endocarditis. The patient made an uneventful recovery following antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention.

Keywords

• Infective endocarditis
• inflammation
• lung nodules
• Streptococcus mutans
• ventricular septal defect