Background: Disseminated infection is a severe condition in immunocompromised patients. Mortality secondary to cardiac infection remains high.
Case Summary: We present a case of a 45-year-old female breast cancer patient who developed endocarditis and myocarditis after receiving the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) pembrolizumab. The infection emerged as a complication following the management of a severe immune-related adverse event (irAE) with high doses of immunosuppressants, triggered by the ICI.
Discussion: The use of ICIs and the subsequent treatment of irAEs with immunosuppressants introduce a new subset of immunocompromised patients at risk for fungal infections. While alternative corticosteroid-sparing immune-modulating agents such as biologicals, intravenous immunoglobulins, and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs have been explored, there is lack of prospective studies evaluating their efficacy and safety in this context.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ehjcr/ytaf058 | DOI Listing |
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