Surgical infective endocarditis and concurrent splenic abscess requiring splenectomy: a case series and review of the literature

Splenic abscess is an uncommon but serious complication of infective endocarditis (IE). The timing of surgical management of splenic abscess can be challenging when valve surgery is required. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) currently recommends splenectomy before valve replacement due to fear of reinfection of the heart valve; however, published data to support this recommendation are limited. In...