Internationale Zeitschrift für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung

Sepsis-induced Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Caused by a Pacemaker Infected with Candida albicans

Saziye Karaca, Isabelle Masouye, Tornike Sologashvili and Afksendiyos Kalangos

Sepsis-induced Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Caused by a Pacemaker Infected with Candida albicans

Nosocomial infections caused by Candida are increasingly gaining importance. Here we describe a rare instance of infection of a pacemaker with C. albicans, and the consequences following cardiac surgery. The patient was a 68-year-old man who underwent replacement of the ascending aorta following pacemaker implantation. Postoperatively, he showed C. albicans-related pneumonia and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC). Fungal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and are frequently associated with the implantation of vascular devices. To our knowledge, this is the first case of DIC after open heart surgery caused by a pacemaker infected by C. albicans.