Mitral balloon valvuloplasty by Inoue technique without echocardiographic standby.

Mitral balloon valvuloplasty (MBV) by Inoue technique was performed in 85 patients with symptomatic rheumatic mitral stenosis (MS). Twenty-eight patients were male and 57 patients were female. The age range was nine to 59 years (mean 28).

Infective endocarditis: a prospective study of 60 consecutive cases.

Sixty cases of infective endocarditis were studied prospectively between May, 1985 and December, 1988. There were 40 males and 20 females with a mean age of 28 years. Endocarditis was found on normal valves in 13 patients, on rheumatic valves in 30, on congenital lesions in 8, on prosthetic valves in 4 and on mitral valve prolapse in 5 cases.

Brucella endocarditis. Report of one case and review of the literature.

We report a case of brucella endocarditis on a native aortic valve causing severe aortic regurgitation, uncontrolled heart failure and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy. The diagnosis was proven by positive serology, isolation of Brucella melitensis from preoperative blood cultures and excised valve. The patient was successfully treated with valve replacement and specific antibiotic therapy.

Cardiobacterium hominis endocarditis. Report of one case and review of the literature.

We report a case of infective endocarditis due to Cardiobacterium Hominis. This organism has rarely been recognized in the past as a human pathogen on the cardiac valves. This patient escaped early diagnosis, but he was successfully treated with parenteral ampicillin followed by elective aortic and mitral valve replacement.

New nonsurgical technique for multiple pericardial biopsies.

We report a new, nonsurgical technique for obtaining multiple pericardial biopsies in patients with pericardial effusion. A short catheter is introduced by the Seldinger technique under fluoroscopy through the subxiphoid approach. The pericardial fluid is aspirated and the catheter replaced by an 8F teflon sheath with a curved tip.