Pseudomonas cepacia endocarditis successfully treated by surgery

The patient was a 3-year-old female with coarctation of the aorta complicated by ventricular septal defect and mitral regurgitation. She underwent surgery for coarctation of the aorta at 7 months of age. We performed direct closure using a pledget for ventricular septal defect and valvoplasty with annuloplasty for mitral regurgitation. Infective endocarditis due to pseudomonas cepacia developed 3 months after the surgery, and echocardiography revealed vegetation in the ventricular septum and anterior leaflet of the mitral valve. After treatment with antibiotics, the second open heart surgery involving removal of the pledget used in the previous operation, reclosure of the ventricular septal defect, and mitral valve replacement was performed. The patient is healthy without recurrence of infective endocarditis 2 years and 2 months after the surgery.