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Treatment of infective endocarditis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator
Author(s) -
Gunes Adalet Meral,
Bostan Ozlem Mehtap,
Baytan Birol,
Semizel Evren
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.20890
Subject(s) - medicine , infective endocarditis , endocarditis , plasminogen activator , surgery , tissue plasminogen activator , antibiotics , recombinant tissue plasminogen activator , ischemic stroke , ischemia , modified rankin scale , microbiology and biotechnology , biology
Infective endocarditis (IE) caused by microbial infection is virtually always fatal if untreated. High‐dose and long‐term antibiotic treatment is required to eradicate microorganisms. If increased risk of embolic events, persistent infection, and progressive cardiac failure are present, surgery is indicated. However, surgery can carry an increased risk of mortality and morbidity in critically ill children of whom other treatment options such as administering, a thrombolytic agent; recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r‐tPA) could be an alternative choice. Here, we report a 14‐year‐old male with Down syndrome and acute myeloblastic leukemia, diagnosed with IE characterized by two large vegetations on aortic and mitral valves, who was successfully treated with r‐tPA. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2008;50:132–134. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.