1077. Heart Transplantation as Salvage Treatment for Intractable Infective Endocarditis

Abstract

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) remains a severe disease with contemporary in-hospital mortality rates of 20%. Although valvular replacement is performed in 50% of patients during the acute phase, heart transplantation remains the last resort in selected patients with extensive perivalvular lesions or end-stage cardiac failure.MethodsCases were identified through the International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) network. All patients who underwent heart transplantation during the acute phase of IE, with at least three months follow-up, were enrolled. Data were extracted from medical charts on a standardized questionnaire. Only patients who fulfilled Duke criteria for definite IE were enrolled.ResultsBetween 1991 and 2017, 19 patients (6 women, 13 men), with a median age of 52 years (interquartile range, 41–61) underwent heart transplantation for IE refractory to optimized medical treatment and/or other cardiac surgery in Spain (n = 9), France (n = 6), and Colombia, Croatia, Switzerland, and the United States (one patient each). IE affected prosthetic (n = 10), native valves (n = 9), primarily aortic (56%), and mitral (28%). Pathogens were oral streptococci (n = 7), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 5, including two methicillin-resistant), Enterococcus faecalis (n = 2), and Mycoplasma hominis, Haemophilus para-influenzae, Candida albicans (one patient each). Two cases were not documented. Main cardiac lesions were vegetations (n = 17), severe regurgitation (n = 15), peri-annular abscesses (n = 9), prosthetic valve desinsertion (n = 4), and intra-cardiac fistula (n = 1). Seventeen patients underwent cardiac surgery at least once before transplantation, and four patients were on circulatory assistance (left ventricular assist-device, or extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation, two patients each). Median delay between first cardiac surgery and transplantation was 28 days (IQR, 18–71). Six patients died (32%), including four during the first month post-transplant. Thirteen patients survived, with a median follow-up of 44 months post-transplantation (IQR, 13–88).ConclusionHeart transplantation may be considered as salvage treatment in highly selected patients with intractable infective endocarditis.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.