Occurrence of Endocarditis with Valvular Deformities in Dogs with Arteriovenous Fistulae.

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Abstract
Following the surgical construction of large bilateral arteriovenous anastomoses in 20 dogs subjected to various physiologic studies and allowing the possibility of accidental infection, 80% of animals surviving 4 wks. developed endocarditis. The majority of such animals showed positive blood cultures. In different cases the organisms found were Aero-bacter aerogenes, beta-hemolytic streptococcus, Streptococcus viridans and Staphylococcus aureus. The valvular lesions were sometimes fungating vegetations with bacteria and sometimes free of bacteria and resembling rheumatic valve lesions. Spontaneous endocarditis in dogs is rare, and in these studies it was not seen in dogs with smaller arteriovenous shunts subjected to the same treatment otherwise. It is suggested that the increased cardiac work induced by large A-V shunts increases in some unexplained way the susceptibility to valvular endocardial lesions.
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