Myocardial abscess


Description

A myocardial abscess is a pus-containing infection of the heart muscle. It is a rare, life-threatening disease. Like other abscesses, it can grow directly from an already-existing cardiac infective focus, or it might spread from a distant source, like bacteremia or sepsis. For a patient to survive, early detection and the beginning of the proper medical and surgical treatment are essential.

Symptoms

Variable, confusing symptoms are common. For example:

Fever
Eating disorder
Muscle pain
Headache
Shortness of breath
Joint pain
Rashes
Cough
Chest pain
Nausea and vomiting
Sweating
Abdominal and back pain
If you experience any of these symptoms, visit a General Practitioner (General Practice doctor), who might refer you to a Cardiologist, for proper diagnosis and treatment to prevent further complications.


Causes

As a complication of endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart chambers and valves)
Presence of bacterial infection in the bloodstream (bacteremia)
Susceptible heart tissue after myocardial infarction (MI), or prosthetic valve disease
Other factors include trauma, penetrating wounds, deep burns, infected transplanted heart, parasitic infection

Diagnostics

Adding to the physical examination, your doctor may request the following tests:

Blood tests
Urine tests
Echocardiography
electrocardiography


Treatment

Intravenous antibiotics
Surgical intervention

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