Endemic Fungal Infective Endocarditis Caused by Coccidioides, Blastomyces and Histoplasma Species in the United States.

We describe a recent case of Coccidioides bioprosthetic aortic valve infective endocarditis successfully managed at our institution. This led us to perform a literature review of endemic fungal infective endocarditis in the United States caused by Coccidioides, Blastomyces, and Histoplasma. Symptoms preceded infective endocarditis diagnosis by several months. Patients with Coccidioides and Blastomyces infective endocarditis were younger with fewer comorbid conditions. Valvular involvement was relatively uncommon in Blastomyces infective endocarditis (27%). Fungemia was noted in patients with infective endocarditis due to Histoplasma (30%) and Coccidioides (18%). Mortality rates for infective endocarditis were high (Histoplasma, 46%; Coccidioides, 58%; Blastomyces, 80%); infective endocarditis was commonly diagnosed post-mortem (Coccidioides, 58%; Blastomyces, 89%). Most surviving patients with infective endocarditis (Histoplasma, 79%; Coccidioides, 80%) underwent valve surgery along with prolonged antifungal therapy. The two surviving patients with Blastomyces infective endocarditis received antifungal therapy without surgery.

Office-based intravitreal injection of expansile gas for management of macular hole in previously vitrectomized eyes.

PURPOSE: To report the successful closure of full-thickness macular hole (MH), using an office-based intravitreal gas injection, in two eyes having undergone prior pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). OBSERVATIONS: Patient 1 presented with acute loss of visual acuity to 20/300 in the left eye 5 months following PPV for fovea-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment; MH was confirmed by examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT). 0.6 cc of 100% C3F8 gas was injected, with subsequent MH closure following one week of face-down positioning. Patient 2 presented with right eye visual acuity of 20/60 one month following PPV for optic nerve pit-associated maculopathy; MH was confirmed by examination and OCT. 0.85 cc of 100% C3F8 gas was injected in the office, with subsequent MH closure following one week of face-down positioning. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: MH management in previously vitrectomized eyes has traditionally been repeat PPV with internal limiting membrane peeling, fluid-air exchange, and expansile gas exchange. Intravitreal gas injection, in an office-based setting, is a viable clinical approach to close MH in some previously vitrectomized eyes.