Background: Infective endocarditis is a rare but serious disease with high morbidity and mortality due to its potential life-threatening complications. Gerbode defect is an anomalous connection between the left ventricle and the right atrium that can be either congenital or acquired, with previous rare reports following abscess formation in infective endocarditis.
Case summary: A 27-year-old woman presented in hospital with Janeway lesions, stroke, splenic and hepatic abscesses, and transient complete auriculoventricular block. Bicuspid aortic valve infective endocarditis to methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and acquired Gerbode defect were diagnosed. After intravenous antibiotics and aortic valve replacement, the patient was discharged without sequelae.
Discussion: Bicuspid aortic valve patients have a higher risk of infective endocarditis than the general population. Infective endocarditis may present with multiple complications, including systemic embolization and local perivalvular lesions. Acquired Gerbode defect is a rare complication of infective endocarditis where transoesophageal echocardiography plays an important role for small shunt detection before surgical intervention.
Keywords: Acquired Gerbode defect; Bicuspid aortic valve; Case report; Complete atrioventricular block; Infective endocarditis.
© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.