Endocarditis after nipple piercing in a patient with a bicuspid aortic valve.

Ochsenfahrt, C; Friedl, R; Hannekum, A; Schumacher, B A · Ann Thorac Surg · 2001

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

Piercing the skin for cosmetic reasons can be dangerous in young adults who have previously undergone surgery for congenital defects of the heart. We report the case of a 24-year-old man in whom coarctation of the aorta had been corrected 15 years earlier. Two months after piercing his left nipple without antibiotic prophylaxis, he developed a local mastitis, followed by bacterial endocarditits that required replacement of the aortic valve.

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