You are at your son\'s baseball game when another boy\'s dad experiences dizzine

Question

You are at your son's baseball game when another boy's dad experiences dizziness and nearly faints?

in the stands next to you. You tell him that you are a paramedic and will walk him to your car where you have your medical equipment. He reports that he has had a headache off and on since he had a tooth extracted four days ago. This evening he is feeling very weak.
His blood pressure is normal. When you listen to his heart you note that he has a pronounced murmur. He reports having had rheumatic fever 15 years ago. You examine his fingernails and find one that has tiny petechial hemorrhages under it.

1. Which cardiovascular infectious condition is this?

2. What is the most likely causative organism and the route of transmission?

3. What the connection, if any with rheumatic fever?

4. Why did you look at his fingernails?

5. What type of culture would a physcian most likly order and why?

Explanation / Answer

1. As per the given info, the most probable cardiovascular infections condition is endocarditis. Endocarditis is inflammation of the heart lining, heart muscles and heart valves. This condition is caused by bacteria or fungi.

2. The infection is generally caused by the bacteria streptococci or staphylococci. Endocarditis can be caused by fungi or other infectious micro-organisms, but fungal endocarditis is very rare. Our daily routes such as eating food and brushing teeth provide an opportunity for the bacteria to enter the body, and causes endocarditis. A dental or medical procedure that results in the infection also be a cause.

3. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that may develop as a complication of a streptococcus infection, which can increase the chance of endocarditis.

4. Haemorrhagic petechial is one of the symptoms of endocarditis.

5. The physician must likely to order a bacterial culture.

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