[A drug addict presenting with complicated tricuspid valve endocarditis].

The right-sided heart valves are affected in about 10% of patients with infective endocarditis. However, the tricuspid valve is the most frequently involved valve in intravenous drug users with infective endocarditis. When treated with antibiotics, the prognosis is considered favorable. Reported here is the case of a drug-addicted patient with polymicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae) infective endocarditis of the tricuspid valve and a lethal outcome due to multiple organ failure. The indications and options to perform cardiac surgery in patients with infective endocarditis of the tricuspid valve are discussed.