A Potentially Fatal Inflammation of the Heart: A Case Report

Abstract

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people delayed care for major medical conditions, leading to more severe complications. There was a pervasive fear of being exposed to COVID-19 when going to a hospital emergency department. In this case, a 35-year-old female patient that had scheduled monthly appointments presented by video telehealth visit with almost a week of body aches associated with fever, chills, finger swelling, and dehydration. Her vitals were consistent with sepsis, and she was immediately instructed to go to the emergency department. At the hospital, she was found to have sepsis secondary to bacteremia from her port-a-cath, leading to infective endocarditis and organ abscesses. She eventually had to undergo major cardiac surgery for aortic valve replacement. Even though she realized her symptoms were concerning, she was afraid of going to the hospital and contracting COVID-19. Instead, she waited for her outpatient appointment, and this resulted in her having more severe complications. However, not a diagnosis of COVID-19, the delays in care from fear of contracting this novel disease led to many adverse outcomes in other medical conditions.