Association of Surgical Treatment With Survival in Patients With Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis

Abstract

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a serious condition with high morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the association of surgical treatment with survival among patients with PVE. A retrospective cohort study was done of patients with PVE hospitalized over 8 years in a large referral center. Association of surgery with survival was evaluated with multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression, adjusting for propensity to be accepted for surgery, and analyzing surgery as a time-dependent covariate. Survival was also compared separately in a 1:1 propensity score-matched cohort of patients accepted for surgery and control patients consigned to nonsurgical treatment. Of 523 patients (mean [SD] age, 61 [14] years; 370 [71%] men; 393 [75%] initially accepted for surgery), 404 ultimately underwent surgery and 119 received nonsurgical treatment alone. Surgical treatment was associated with significantly lower hazard of death in the entire cohort (hazard ratio [HR]= 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.22-0.48; P < .001) and in the 1:1 matched cohort (HR= 0.33; 95% CI: 0.19-0.57; P < .001). Initial acceptance for surgery was associated with significantly lower odds of in-hospital death (odds ratio [OR]= 0.26; 95% CI: 0.11-0.59; P < .001), death or readmission within 90 days (OR= 0.17; 95% CI: 0.07-0.43; P < .001), and death within 1 year (OR= 0.16; 95% CI: 0.08-0.34; P < .001). Surgical treatment is associated with a large survival benefit in PVE. A decision to pursue nonsurgical treatment in PVE should entail close follow-up for any development of an indication for surgery.