The fantastic teamwork between our acute medicine, microbiology and cardiology teams has found only the 28th global case of the extremely rare organism Neisseria Sicca which caused infective endocarditis, in one of our patients.

Now their exemplary work has been highlighted in the British Journal of Hospital Medicine in the hope their approach raises awareness of how to manage the condition, after Acute Medicine Doctor, Husam Jamil, had his case study published.  

The patient presented with an infection of the heart valves (endocarditis) by an organism called Neisseria Sicca. This bug is usually found in the oral cavities of humans and is harmless, however if by any chance it enters blood it can be brutal. Managing the response was a challenge as there have only so far been 27 reported cases globally of it causing heart valve infection, and there are no specific guidelines on the choice of antibiotics to treat the condition. The cardiology team did an echo test and found it in a heart valve, following which a prompt plan of treatment with antibiotics was initiated.

The death rate is high with this bug (23% of reported cases experienced death) but with good teamwork between our acute medicine, microbiology and cardiology team and early detection, patient remains well after a course of 6 weeks of antibiotics. 

You can read the case study here: A Case Report of Neisseria sicca Endocarditis in a Patient with Tissue Aortic Valve: Favorable Outcome Following Prompt Multidisciplinary Team Management | British Journal of Hospital Medicine

Well done to the teams involved! #TeamCHFT