An Unusual Presentation of Native Valve Endocarditis Caused by Staphylococcus warneri.

Staphylococcus warneri is a coagulase-negative staphylococcal (CoNS) bacterium. It is a common saprophyte on human skin, present in approximately 50% of the healthy adult population; it has emerged as a cause of serious infection in the past two decades. In most cases, there is a predisposing condition, such as a new implant or surgical procedure, before the identification of S warneri as the pathogen. It is believed that CoNS are mostly associated with prosthetic valve infections. S warneri can lead to a slow growing and an indolent course and late diagnosis. Cases of CoNS infective endocarditis are less likely to have a vascular or immunologic phenomenon and can lead to large vegetations requiring valve replacement if not detected in time. There are currently only two cases of native valve endocarditis from community-acquired S warneri in the literature. We report a case of native valve endocarditis in an immunocompetent patient without any of the usual predisposing risk factors. Our case illustrates the importance of CoNS bacteremia and the implications of delayed diagnosis of CoNS endocarditis in clinical practice.

Improved symptoms, physical limitation, and self-efficacy after resynchronization in a patient with heart failure and a prolonged QRS duration.

This report examines the impact of resynchronization therapy in a patient with class IV heart failure and a prolonged QRS duration on electrocardiogram. The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was used to assess the patient's health status prior to, immediately after, and 2 months after placement of a biventricular pacemaker. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) values and electrocardiogram QRS duration were recorded to further document clinical status. Our patient experienced statistically significant improvements in 7 of 10 KCCQ domains after resynchronization. QRS duration narrowed following the procedure and BNP values decreased. Resynchronization therapy improved this patient's symptoms, physical limitations, and self-efficacy when maximal medical therapy failed.

Importance of measuring glycosylated hemoglobin in patients with myocardial infarction and known diabetes mellitus.

Although medical co-morbidities commonly affect clinical outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), current performance measures of AMI quality focus exclusively on the management of the AMI itself. However, patients with AMIs frequently present with other co-morbidities, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), that also warrant assessment and management. To date, the quality of DM evaluation in patients presenting with AMIs has not been described. From January 2003 to June 2004, the Prospective Registry Evaluating Myocardial Infarction Patients: Events and Recovery-Quality Improvement (PREMIER-QI) enrolled 3,953 patients with AMIs at 19 centers in the United States. The frequency of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) assessment, either during the hospitalization or documented in the chart from the preceding 3 months, was prospectively evaluated. Among 1,168 patients with AMIs with preexisting DM, only 47% had recent HbA(1c) levels available, with marked variability in HbA(1c) assessment among hospitals (range 7% to 81%). Among those with available HbA(1c) levels, 39% had good control (HbA(1c) <7%), 36% had suboptimal control (HbA(1c) 7% to 9%), and 25% had poor control (HbA(1c) >9%). Patients with suboptimal and poor control were more likely to have their DM treatment intensified than those without HbA(1c) assessment (for HbA(1c) 7% to 9%, rate ratio 1.38, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.85; for HbA(1c) >9%, rate ratio 2.20, 95% confidence interval 1.68 to 2.88). Similarly, patients with DM who had HbA(1c) measured were more likely to receive instructions on DM disease management before discharge. In conclusion, the assessment of chronic glycemic control is highly variable among patients with AMIs and DM. Because much of this variability occurs at the hospital level, the evaluation of DM control could represent an additional quality indicator and an opportunity to advance patient-centered AMI care.