Endocarditis due to Burkholderia cepacia and an intracardiac foreign body in a renal transplant patient.

The authors describe the case of a renal transplant patient who developed late infective endocarditis associated with an intracardiac fragment of a catheter inserted 16 years before. Clinical presentation was anemia of undetermined cause and weight loss. Three blood cultures were positive for Burkholderia cepacia. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a foreign body in the right atrium and right ventricle, confirmed by computed tomography. The patient underwent intravenous antibiotic therapy, followed by cardiac surgery to remove the foreign body. There were no postoperative complications, with improvement of anemia and stabilization of renal function.