Unusual Findings and Outcomes of Balloon Mitral Valvotomy

Balloon mitral valvotomy is a common procedure done for rheumatic mitral stenosis. However, certain cases may pose challenges and rarely may be life-threatening. Here, three unusual cases of balloon mitral valvotomy are presented. Case 1 had procedural challenge in terms of Interatrial Septal (IAS) fibrotic thickening and calcification, posing difficulty in trans-septal puncture and crossing IAS with valvotomy balloon. Case 2 had bidirectional Ventricular Tachycardia (VT) with a single dose of intravenous digoxin, and stress cardiomyopathy. Case 3 had difficulty in negotiating valvotomy balloon towards apex and in the process, there was left ventricular free wall perforation

Infective Endocarditis: A Rare Organism in an Uncommon Setting

Facklamia hominis is a rare causative organism of infective endocarditis (IE). Only few cases of infection due to F. hominis have been reported in the literature. We describe a case of IE due to Gram-positive, alpha-haemolytic, catalase-negative coccus F. hominis in an adult patient with rheumatic mitral stenosis. Isolated mitral stenosis is an uncommon valve lesion predisposing to IE. The following paper is being presented to emphasize the possibility of IE due to F. hominis, and laboratories need to be alert of the potential significance in appropriate clinical setting