[Infective endocarditis in patients with chronic hepatic failure: a four cases series]. / Endocarditis infecciosa en pacientes con daño hepático crónico: Serie de 4 casos clínicos.

Infective endocarditis and liver cirrhosis is an infrequent association. A retrospective study was performed in order to characterize predisposing factors, microbial causes and evolution. Medical records between 1995 and 2008 (June) were searched. Four cases were identified. In three cases liver cirrhosis was in stage Child A, and in all 4 there was a predisposing cardiac disease. Clinical manifestations were classical in 3 cases and in one presented as hepatic failure. Only in one case a typical agent was recovered. Other cases were associated to a nosocomial agent or Corynebacterium sp. [corrected] and in one no agent was identified. One patient required valve replacement. Three patients recovered satisfactorily, all of them in Child A stage. One died of non-infectious causes (Child C). Infective endocarditis and liver cirrhosis is an infrequent association in clinical practice, it can be associated to unusual agents or clinical manifestations.

Endocarditis infecciosa en pacientes con daño hepático crónico: Serie de 4 casos clínicos / Infective endocarditis in patients with chronic hepatic failure: A four cases series

Infective endocarditis and liver cirrhosis is an infrequent association. A retrospective study was performed in order to characterize predisposing factors, microbial causes and evolution. Medical records between 1995 and 2008 (June) were searched. Four cases were identified. In three cases liver cirrhosis was in stage Child A, and in all 4 there was a predisposing cardiac disease. Clinical manifestations were classical in 3 cases and in one presented as hepatic failure. Only in one case a typical agent was recovered. Other cases were associated to a nosocomial agent or Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and in one no agent was identified. One patient required valve replacement. Three patients recovered satisfactorily, all of them in Child A stage. One died of non-infectious causes (Child C). Infective endocarditis and liver cirrhosis is an infrequent association in clinical practice, it can be associated to unusual agents or clinical manifestations.

La asociación entre daño hepático y endocarditis infecciosa es infrecuente. Para analizar los factores predisponentes de esta asociación, la etiología microbiana y evolución clínica, se efectuó un análisis retrospectivo de los egresos por endocarditis infecciosa en pacientes con cirrosis hepática desde 1995 a junio de 2008. Se identificaron cuatro casos, asociados a categoría Child A en tres y en todos había una cardiopatía predisponente. Las manifestaciones clínicas fueron clásicas excepto en un caso que se presentó como descompensación hepática. Sólo un caso se asoció a un agente típico, otros a un agente nosocomial y Corynebacterium diphtheriae. En un caso no se identificó la etiología. Uno de los pacientes requirió cirugía de reemplazo valvular. Tres pacientes se recuperaron (Child A) y el paciente en categoría Child C falleció. Aunque infrecuente, la asociación cirrosis y endocarditis ocurre en la práctica clínica, se puede asociar a agentes inhabituales y tener manifestaciones encubiertas.

Diálisis con albúmina MARS (Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System) como puente para el trasplante hepático en insuficiencia hepática fulminante: presentación de 3 casos / Albumin dialysis MARS (Molecular Adsorbent Recirculating System) in acute liver failure, before liver transplantation: report of three cases

The most successful therapy for acute liver failure is liver transplantation. However, due to the low number of donors, organ support therapies need to be used as a bridge to liver transplantation. Molecular Adsorbents Recirculating System (MARS) is a dialysis treatment that uses a recirculating dialysate containing albumin. This allows the removal of both hydrosoluble and albumin-related substances. This system improves hepatic encephalopathy, renal dysfunction and some clinical parameters in acute liver failure, but there is no clear decrease in mortality. We report three women aged 23, 21 and 61 years, that were subjected to liver transplantation, in whom this therapy was successfully used.