Transesophageal echocardiograms in patients with catheter-derived Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia

摘要

In the evaluation of a bacteremic patient, the clinician should determine the origin and possible destinations of the invading pathogen. As a result of medical progress, intravenous catheters have become a distressingly common portal of entry. Fortunately, most bacteria do not regularly seed endovascular structures, with the notable exception of Staphylococcus aureus, which has a predilection to settle on both normal and damaged tissues. Consequently, every patient developing a bloodstream infection with S. aureus is at risk for endocarditis and other metastatic infections, although the likelihood varies with the source and circumstances..