Septic shock secondary to infection of a left ventricular thrombus

a Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Universitario Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Universidad de Jaén, Jaén, Spain b Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain *Corresponding author. C/Las Torres 57, 23650 Torredonjimeno, Jaén, Spain. Tel.: +34 679178994. E-mail address : mrb1604{at}terra.es (M. Ruiz-Bailén). We report the case of a 45-year-old woman who developed severe shock with multiorgan failure requiring admission to intensive care. Endomyocardial biopsy was performed and she was diagnosed with sepsis secondary to left ventricular thrombus abscess. Surgery was contraindicated and the patient received exclusively medical treatment; the clinical course was satisfactory and the patient is alive one year later. An apical thrombus may rarely be complicated by infection. Although management normally requires surgical excision, medical management may be effective in situations in which surgery is contraindicated. Key Words: Septic shock; Abscess; Left ventricle; Cardiac thrombus