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Background: To describe an unusual case of pneumococcal pneumonia complicated by totally reversible cardiogenic shock. This complication arose due to the development of a myocardial systolic dysfunction associated with alterations of segmental contractility and the onset of severe mitral insufficiency.
Case report: We present the case of a 63-year-old male patient with no pre-existing cardiac pathology or other past history of interest who had stopped smoking four years before.
Conclusions: Mitral insufficiency and myocardial dysfunction are recognised complications of severe pneumonia that may affect the prognosis. The complication reported here may represent the failure of an organ in the context of a multiorgan dysfunction secondary to the pneumonia. A further aspect of particular interest is the value of echocardiography carried out in intensive care units in patients with severe shock.