[Mitral Valve Plasty for Repetitious Infective Endocarditis Through Small Right Anterior Thoracotomy in a Patient with Severe Atopic Dermatitis:Report of a Case].

Atopic dermatitis is known to be associated with infective endocarditis due to poorer barrier function of the skin, and it has also been reported that patients with atopic dermatitis are at higher risk of mediastinitis after open heart surgery. A 50-year-old man with recurrent episodes of Staphylococcus aureus infection presented to the hospital with a chief complaint of fever and shortness of breath. Close examination revealed mitral regurgitation due to infective endocarditis, and the patient was advised to undergo surgery. Echocardiography showed vegetation on the anterior leaflet of the mitral valve with a regurgitant volume of 63 ml. This patient with severe atopic dermatitis underwent mitral valve plasty through small right anterior thoracotomy. His wound was treated deliberately, and he steadily recovered without wound infection. This surgical approach is a useful alternative in patients at high risk of surgical site infection.