Endocarditis in the newborn
G. A. McGuinness, R. M. Schieken and G. F. Maguire
Three cases of endocarditis confirmed at autopsy were identified in an
intensive care nursery during an eight-month period. Echocardiography
demonstrated abnormal echoes in the region of the mitral valve in one
infant and the tricuspid valve in the other two infants. Both the diverse
clinical manifestations of bacterial and nonbacterial endocarditis and the
value of echocardiography in the establishment of an antemortem diagnosis
are discussed. This previously unusual entity seems to be occurring with
greater frequency in neonatal intensive care units that provide vigorous
efforts to support severely ill infants.
