Published in

Elsevier, Journal of Cardiology Cases, 2(7), p. e51-e52, 2013

DOI: 10.1016/j.jccase.2012.10.003

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Think twice, look twice: Eustachian valve endocarditis due to Escherichia coli

Journal article published in 2013 by Ify Mordi ORCID, Nikolaos Tzemos
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Eustachian valve endocarditis is a rare cause of infective endocarditis. We present the case of a 72-year-old woman in whom this was found after a lengthy search. We then go on to discuss the prevalence and some of the difficulties found in the investigation of this disease.<Learning objective: The Eustachian valve (EV) is a valve at the junction of the inferior vena cava and right atrium that in fetal life ensures oxygen-rich blood flows through the foramen ovale into the left side of the heart. In adult life it is vestigial, though it can be prominent and can be a site for vegetations. EV endocarditis can be easily missed if not searched for – if the clinical picture appears to be one of endocarditis, one must remember this valve.