Candida parapsilosis Endocarditis: Medical and Surgical Cure

Excerpt

Candida endocarditis has been associated with open heart surgery (1), prolonged intravenous therapy (such as hyperalimentation, antibiotics), and heroin addiction (2). The commonest species has been Candida parapsilosis, in approximately 50% of cases (3-5). Treatment with either antifungal agents or surgery alone has resulted in a poor survival rate (7% to 14.5%), whereas combined medical and surgical therapy has had a more promising outlook (55% to 80% survival rate) (6). Adequate medical follow-up of treated survivors of candida endocarditis has been poor (7, 8). We report a surviving patient who had proven Candida parapsilosis aortic valve endocarditis with surgically confirmed