Valve IE Research Articles

Non-HACEK gram-negative bacilli infective endocarditis: data from a retrospective German cohort study

Abstract Purpose Infective endocarditis caused by non-HACEK gram-negative bacilli (GNB-IE) is rare but associated with significant morbidity and case fatality. Evidence on optimal treatment and management is limited. We aimed to describe the characteristics and management of GNB-IE patients, investigating factors associated with disease acquisition and unfavorable outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective descriptive single-center study (tertiary care and referral hospital) between 2015 and 2021, including adult patients with definite GNB-IE. We reviewed demographic, clinical and microbiological data, focusing on predisposing factors, clinical outcomes and 1-year mortality. Results Of 1093 patients with probable or definite IE, 19 patients (median age 69 years) had definite GNB-IE, with an increasing incidence throughout the study period. Median age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 4 points. Prosthetic valve IE (PVIE) was present in 7/19 (37%) patients. Nosocomial acquisition occurred in 8/19 (42%) patients. Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most common pathogens. Beta-lactam (BL) based combination therapy was applied in 12/19 (63%) patients (58% BL + fluoroquinolone, 42% BL + aminoglycoside). Cardiac surgery was required in 8/19 (42%) patients (PVIE 71%, native valve IE 25%), primarily for embolism prevention and heart failure. Complications occurred in 14/19 (74%) patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 21% (4/19); the one-year mortality rate was 44% (7/16). One-year mortality did not significantly differ between patients who underwent cardiac surgery and patients managed with anti-infective treatment alone (p = 0.633). Conclusions GNB-IE affects elderly patients with high comorbidity levels and recent health-care exposure. GNB-IE was associated with high complication rates and high mortality.

963. External Validation of the 2023 Duke - International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) Diagnostic Criteria for Infective Endocarditis (IE)

Abstract Background The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria for IE were recently introduced to improve classification of IE for research and clinical purposes (Table 1). We compared the diagnostic accuracy of the new criteria with the 2000 modified Duke criteria, the 2015 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria and a clinically adjudicated reference standard by a panel of international experts on IE.Table 1:Overview of changes in criteria from 2000 modified Duke to 2023 Duke-ISCVIDAdapted from: Fowler et al, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2023 Methods The study population consisted of consecutively enrolled patients suspected to have IE and discussed by the IE team of the Amsterdam University Medical Center (AMC) between October 2016 and March 2021. A panel of international experts on IE assigned a final diagnosis, which served as the reference standard. We compared the definite classification of the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria against this reference standard. We also evaluated accuracy of the new criteria, excluding data obtained from cardiac surgery and pathology (“Clinical Criteria”). Lastly, we quantified the added value of the proposed changes to the criteria, and compared the 2023 Duke-ISCVID to previous criteria using the McNemar test. We performed sensitivity analyses in patients who underwent cardiac surgery and patients who underwent TEE. Results 595 patients with suspected IE were included, of whom 399 (67%) were adjudicated as having IE. 111 patients (19%) had prosthetic valve IE, 48 (8%) had cardiac implantable electronic device IE. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria were more sensitive than the modified Duke or ESC criteria (84.2 vs 74.9 vs 80%,respectively, p < 0.001 for ISCVID vs ESC criteria) without significant loss of specificity (Table 2). After excluding cardiac surgery/pathology results, the 2023 Duke-ISCVID Clinical Criteria also had significantly better sensitivity than the modified Duke and ESC criteria, again without losing specificity. The changes in the 'major microbiological' and 'imaging' criteria had the most impact (Figure 1). Findings were robust in sensitivity analyses (Table 3). When classifying ‘definite’ and ‘possible’ IE as a positive test, the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria had 99% sensitivity compared to the reference standard, but specificity decreased to 21%.Table 2:Diagnostic accuracy of modified Duke, ESC and Duke-ISCVID criteria Sensitivity and specificity are against the reference standard (adjudication panel). The Clinical Criteria classification is the Duke-ISCVID classification when results from surgery or post-mortem studies are not used to determine classification.Table 3:Sensitivity analyses of accuracy of Duke-ISCVID criteria In the Definite + Possible analysis, patients with possible IE according to the Duke-ISCVID criteria were also considered as having IE. All comparisons are against the reference standard (adjudication panel). Conclusion In this cohort, the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria represent a significant advance in the diagnostic classification of patients suspected of IE. Added value of new Duke-ISCVID criteria compared to modified Duke criteria Each point (red square for sensitivity, blue circle for specificity) provides the diagnostic accuracy measure for the 2000 modified Duke Criteria with addition of a specific change from the Duke-ISCVID criteria. The horizontal bars represent the 95% confidence interval for the point estimate. The top points represent the modified Duke criteria without addition, the bottom points are the complete Duke-ISCVID criteria. Disclosures Larry M. Baddour, MD, Boston Scientific: Advisor/Consultant|Roivant Sciences: Advisor/Consultant Arnold S. Bayer, MD, Akagera Medicines: Grant/Research Support|ContraFect Corporation: Grant/Research Support Emanuele Durante Mangoni, MD,, PhD, Advanz pharma: Advisor/Consultant|Advanz pharma: Grant/Research Support|Advanz pharma: Honoraria|Angelini: Grant/Research Support|Angelini: Honoraria|Genentech: Advisor/Consultant|Genentech: Board Member|Genentech: Honoraria|Infectopharm: Grant/Research Support|Menarini: Board Member|Menarini: Honoraria|Pfizer: Advisor/Consultant|Pfizer: Board Member|Pfizer: Grant/Research Support|Pfizer: Honoraria|Roche: Advisor/Consultant|Roche: Board Member|Roche: Honoraria Thomas L. Holland, MD, Aridis: Advisor/Consultant|Basilea Pharmaceutica: Advisor/Consultant|Karius: Advisor/Consultant|Lysovant: Advisor/Consultant Adolf W. Karchmer, MD, Karius: Grant/Research Support|Up To Date: Honoraria Vance G. Fowler, MD, MHS, Amphliphi Biosciences, Integrated Biotherapeutics; C3J, Armata, Valanbio; Akagera, Aridis, Roche, Astra Zeneca: Advisor/Consultant|Genentech, Regeneron, Deep Blue, Basilea, Janssen;: Grant/Research Support|Infectious Diseases Society of America: Honoraria|MedImmune, Allergan, Pfizer, Advanced Liquid Logics, Theravance, Novartis, Merck; Medical Biosurfaces; Locus; Affinergy; Contrafect; Karius;: Grant/Research Support|Novartis, Debiopharm, Genentech, Achaogen, Affinium, Medicines Co., MedImmune, Bayer, Basilea, Affinergy, Janssen, Contrafect, Regeneron, Destiny,: Advisor/Consultant|Sepsis diagnostic: Patent pending|UpToDate: Royalties|Valanbio and ArcBio: Stock Options

Contemporary profile of infective endocarditis in young patients in the era of ageing population: a comparative study

Abstract Aim The aim of the study is to describe the main differences in epidemiological characteristics, clinical features and prognosis between IE patients aged <50 and ≥50 years. Methods A total of 1935 episodes of IE were prospectively recruited at three tertiary centres from 1996 to 2022. Patients were classified into two groups: <50 years (n=333, median age 40 [IQR 33-45] and ≥50 years (n=1602, median age 71 [IQR 64-78]). Variables related to epidemiology, microbiology, echocardiography and outcomes among both groups were analysed. Results The proportion of male patients was higher in those <50 years (73.9% vs 64%; p<0.001). Patients aged ≥50 years had more comorbidities. Time to diagnosis was longer in this group of patients (6.2 ± 1.5 vs 21.7 ± 14.12 days; p<0.001). Proportion of community-acquired IE was higher in <50-year episodes (64.4% vs 81%; p<0.001). Intravenous drug use (IVU) was significantly more frequent in younger patients (22.6% vs 0.5%; p<0.001). Likewise, tricuspid native valve IE was more common in patients <50 years old (16.6% vs 4%; p<0.001). Congenital heart disease (17.2% vs 2.7%; p<0.001) and mitral valve prolapse (6.3% vs 3.8%; p=0.041) were more frequent in patients aged<50 years. Conversely, prosthetic valve IE (38.4% vs 20.7%; p<0.001) was more common in patients >50 years. Streptococcus bovis (0.9% vs 5.6%; p<0.001), enterococci (3% vs 12.6%; p=0.000), coagulase-negative staphylococci (9.9% vs 18.4%; p<0.001) and gram-negative bacilli (1.2% vs 3.5%; p=0.028) infections were more frequent in ≥50-year adults, while the incidence of Streptococcus viridans (21.9% vs 10.7%; p<0.001) and HACEK (1.2% vs 0.3%; p=0.03) infections was higher in the <50-year group. Staphylococcus aureus IE was similar between the two groups (23.7% vs 19.4%; p=0.074). The presence of vegetations (87.4% vs 80.9%; p=0.005), as well as severe new valve regurgitation (42% vs 30.8%; p<0.001) were more often found in <50-year patients. Acute heart failure (44.1% vs 59.5%; p<0.001), acute kidney failure (27.3% vs 47.5%; p<0.001) and septic shock (15.3% vs 20.9%; p=0.02) were more frequent in >50-year group. No differences in frequency of cardiac surgery among both groups were found (61.9% vs 57.6%; p=0.147). In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in ≥50-year patients (15.6% vs 29.2%; p<0.001). Mortality remained higher in ≥50-year adults who underwent cardiac surgery (12.4% vs 23.3%; p=0.001) as well as those who did not undergo surgery (20.5% vs 37.2%; p<0.001). Conclusions Patients aged <50 years diagnosed with IE were more frequently male, and had a higher proportion of community-acquired infections. Congenital heart disease, mitral valve prolapse and IVU were more frequent in <50-year adults. Streptococcus viridans infections were more frequent in this group of patients. In-hospital complications and mortality were lower compared to older patients, regardless of whether they underwent cardiac surgery.

Performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the diagnosis of endocarditis

Abstract Background Infectious endocarditis (IE) remains a diagnostic challenge that requires a combination of clinical, microbiology, and imaging clues. Usefulness of 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) in the diagnostic algorithms has been demonstrated. However, performances of 18F-FDG PET/CT vary greatly between studies and types of IE. 18F-FDG PET/CT may have a better sensitivity for prosthetic valve IE (PVE) than for native valve IE (NVE) or cardiac implantable electronic devices IE (CIED-IE). Purpose Define the performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT after echocardiography in the diagnosis of all types of IE in our institution. Methods This hybrid study was conducted at a university hospital from January 2014 to June 2022 (retrospective cohort: 2014-17 and prospective cohort: from 2018 onwards). Adult patients with a suspected valvular or CIED-IE were included. Realization of 18F-FDG PET/CT was left at the discretion of the treating physician or by an endocarditis-team that was established in 2018. 18F-FDG PET/CT analysis were performed nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists (when the CT was contrast-enhanced), based on visual interpretation. The final diagnosis of possible or definite IE was defined by the endocarditis team according to European Society of Cardiology 2015 modified Duke criteria. Results During the study period, 280 18F-FDG PET/CT with interpretable intracardiac results were performed for a clinical suspicion of IE in 247 patients. A final IE diagnosis was retained for 116 episodes (41%; 81 definite and 35 possible IE), among which 102 valvular (59 NVE and 44 PVE) and 20 CIED-IE. 18F-FDG PET/CT showed radiologic signs of endocarditis in 60 episodes (21%) with an overall specificity, sensitivity, positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) of 97.6%, 48.3%, 93.3%, and 72.7%, respectively. This led to an overall accuracy of 77.1% and between 80 to 85% when looking at specific types of IE. Performances of 18F-FDG PET/CT for each type of IE are shown in Figure 1. Addition of 18F-FDG PET/CT to the modified Duke criteria reclassified the diagnosis in 37 cases: from possible/rejected IE to definite IE in 25 cases (21.5%) and from rejected IE to possible IE in 12 cases (10.3%) (Figure 2). Figure 2 shows a Shankey diagram of classification of episodes by clinical Duke criteria without 18F-FDG PET/CT results (left side), clinical Duke criteria with 18F-FDG PET/CT results (center) and final diagnosis retained by clinicians (right side). Conclusion Use of 18F-FDG PET/CT in a multimodal diagnostic approach led to an acceptable accuracy for all types of IE in our center. Signs of endocarditis on 18F-FDG PET/CT should be interpreted as confirmatory, while absence of sign do not efficiently rule out this diagnosis. In this cohort, 18F-FDG PET/CT helped to reclassify 15.9% of possible or rejected IE.Performance of 18F-FDG PET/CTShankey diagram of IE classification

Comparing clinical outcomes in bicuspid versus trileaflet aortic valve endocarditis

Abstract Background The incidence of bicuspid aortic valve infective endocarditis (BAV-IE) has been reported at 2% in contemporary BAV cohorts with an estimated risk of developing BAV-IE 11 times that of the general population with a trileaflet aortic valve (TAV). Purpose To characterise BAV-IE from a clinical and microbiological perspective and compare clinical outcomes with a cohort of individuals with trileaflet aortic valve infective endocarditis (TAV-IE). Methods The clinical records of all patients (>16 years old) admitted to a large tertiary referral centre in the United Kingdom between 2015 and 2022 with a definitive diagnosis of native aortic valve IE by Duke’s criteria were included. Clinical, echocardiographic and microbiological data were obtained. The primary outcomes were death or surgical aortic valve intervention during the indexed hospital admission. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of cardiac complications (e.g. aortic root abscess or fistula formation, IE affecting another valve or high degree atrioventricular block requiring temporary or permanent pacing). Extra-cardiac complications included embolic phenomena and thrombotic events. Results 83 patients were included (BAV-IE 34; TAV-IE 49). BAV-IE patients were significantly younger at presentation than TAV-IE patients (Table 1). There was no difference age-adjusted mortality rate between the two groups (mortality rate BAV-IE 0.20 (95% CI 0.08-0.54) versus TAV-IE 0.29 (95% CI 0.17-0.48). The rate of cardiac complications including aortic root abscess or fistula formation, and concomitant mitral valve endocarditis was greater in the BAV group, though not reaching statistical significance. Those in the BAV-IE group were more likely to develop at least moderate aortic regurgitation and have aortic valve intervention during the admission (70.6% (24/34) BAV-IE versus 46.9% (23/49) TAV-IE, p=0.03). Conclusion Despite an estimated prevalence of 1% in the general population, BAV accounted for 41% of all native AV IE cases at our institution. This study demonstrates that even in young, otherwise healthy individuals, BAV-IE has a poor prognosis with a high proportion developing structural complications. Age-adjusted mortality rates are similar to those with TAV-IE, who are often older with more co-morbidities. Though antibiotic prophylaxis is currently only recommended for those at the highest risk, these findings reinforce the importance of mitigating sources of infection in individuals with BAV. Prompt medical attention and treatment of suspected IE cases is of utmost importance as degeneration of a BAV and other cardiac complications, particularly aortic regurgitation, can rapidly develop.

Oral streptococcal infective endocarditis among individuals at high risk following dental treatment: a nested case-crossover and case-control study

It is not clear whether Viridans Group Streptococcal Infective Endocarditis (VGS-IE) among individuals at high risk is more frequent following bacteraemia caused by invasive dental procedures (IDPs) than after daily bacteraemia caused by chewing and tooth brushing. The aim of this nested study was to assess if VGS-IE was temporally associated with IDPs in a national cohort of individuals at high risk. This nested case-control and case-crossover study was based on a Swedish national cohort study of 76,762 individuals at high risk of IE due to complex congenital heart disease, prosthetic heart valve or previous IE. Participants were living in Sweden between July 1st, 2008 and January 1st, 2018. The frequency of IDPs during the 3 months before VGS-IE was calculated and compared to controls (sampled 1:10). A case-crossover study was conducted to account for residual confounders. Participants were identified using the national patient register, and IDPs were identified using the national dental health register. 98,247 IDPs were carried out in the cohort during the study period: 624 occasions of oral surgery, 44,190 extractions and 53,433 sessions of subgingival scaling. The study could not confirm that IDPs were more common among cases (4.6%) than controls (4.1%), OR=1.22 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.64-2.3], or during case- (3.3%) than reference periods (3.8%), OR=0.89 [95% CI: 0.68-1.17]. Restricting the analysis to the period when cessation of antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of IE in Swedish dentistry was recommended, from the 1st of October 2012 to the 1st of January 2018, did not alter the results of the case-control study: OR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.20-2.09, or the case-crossover study: OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.15-2.19. The study could not confirm that VGS-IE is associated with IDPs among individuals at high risk. A study with larger sample size could clarify whether there is a lack of association. The finding of a small (<5%) proportion of cases temporally associated with IDPs is similar to that of the previous large-scale study on IDPs and VGS-IE. Funding was provided by the Board of doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet, the Public Health Agency of Sweden, Folktandvården Stockholm AB, Steering Group for Collaborative Odontological Research at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm City County, and the Swedish Dental Association.

Association of early surgery and mortality in patients with native or prosthetic valve endocarditis

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease associated with high risk of morbidity and mortality. Recent studies suggests that surgery during index hospitalization may be performed without increased risk of mortality. However, differences in this association in patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE remain unclear. Purpose The purpose of this meta-analysis is to explore differences in the association between early surgery and mortality in patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE. Methods We performed a literature search for studies reporting an association between early surgery and study endpoints in patients with either native valve IE or prosthetic valve IE. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. The secondary endpoints was long-term mortality. The search included the following databases: Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The search was not restricted to time or publication status. Studies reporting mixed native and prosthetic valve populations were excluded. Results A total of 10 studies with 5493 participants (2505 with early surgery vs 2988 with conventional therapy) were included. The mean duration of follow-up was 55 months (ranging between 12 to 120 months). Early surgery in patients with native valve IE was associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.28, 0.83; p&amp;lt;0.01). Early surgery in patients with native valve IE was associated with lower risk of long-term mortality, however this effect was primarily driven by a single study (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.08, 0.83; p=0.02). Early surgery in patients with prosthetic valve IE was not significantly associated with risk of in-hospital mortality, however there is a trend toward lower risk (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.58, 1.02; p=0.07). There was not enough studies reporting long-term outcomes to assess the association between early surgery and long-term mortality in patients with prosthetic valve IE Conclusions Early surgery is associated with lower risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with native valve IE and is not associated with increased risk of mortality in patients with prosthetic valve IE. Further high-quality studies are needed to elucidate the association between early surgery and long-term outcomes in both patients with native valve IE and prosthetic valve IE.

Unexpected septic pulmonary embolism imaging with 18-F FDG PET/CT in an infective endocarditis case: case report

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) is a severe disease that is diagnosed using a combination of clinical, microbiologic, and imaging criteria (modified Duke criteria). The prognosis relies on the degree of valvular involvement and crucially the presence of systemic infectious embolism. We present an educational infective endocarditis case with images of 18-F fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18-F FDG PET/CT) showing hypermetabolic lesions on the prosthetic tricuspid valve and papillary muscle of right ventricle. Besides these lesions, PET/CT showed an unexpected hypermetabolic extra-cardiac focus.Case presentationA 36-year-old male patient with IE history was underwent 18-F FDG PET/CT imaging. FDG PET revealed hypermetabolic lesions on the prosthetic tricuspid valve and papillary muscle of right ventricle. Besides these lesions, PET/CT showed an unexpected hypermetabolic focus in the lower lobe of the right lung, which was consistent with septic pulmonary embolism.Conclusions18-F FDG PET/CT is a valuable, noninvasive imaging modality in diagnosis of prosthetic valve IE. It could change treatment planning since detecting extra-cardiac lesions.

Endocarditis-TR: diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of the infective endocarditis patients admitting tertiary centers of Turkey

Abstract Background/Aim Infective endocarditis (IE) is still a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among cardiovascular diseases. ENDOCARDITIS-TR study aims to evaluate the compliance of the diagnostic and therapeutic methods being used in Turkey with current guidelines. Material and methods The ENDOCARDITIS-TR trial is a multi-centre, prospective, observational study consisting of patients admitted to tertiary centres with a definite diagnose of IE. In addition to the demographic, clinical, microbiological and echocardiographic findings of the patients, adverse events, indications for surgery, and in-hospital mortality were recorded during a 2-year time interval. Results A total of 208 IE patients from 7 tertiary centres in Turkey were enrolled in the study. The study population included 125 (60.1%) native valve IE (NVE), 65 (31.3%) prosthetic IE (PVIE), and 18 (8.7%) intracardiac device-related IE (CDRIE). One hundred thirty-five patients (64.9%) were culture positive, and the most frequent pathogenic agent was methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (18.3%). Among 155 (74.5%) patients with an indication for surgery, only 87 (56.1%) patients underwent surgery. The all-cause mortality rate was 29.3% in-hospital follow-up. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that absence of surgery when indicated (HR: 3.29, 95% CI: 0.93–11.64, p=0.05), albumin level at admission (HR: 0.46 95%, CI: 0.29–0.73, p&amp;lt;0.01), abscess formation (HR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.01–4.38, p=0.04) and systemic embolism (HR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.05–3.02, p=0.03) were ascertained as independent predictors of in-hospital all-cause mortality. Conclusion The short term results of the ENDOCARDITIS-TR trial showed the high frequency of staphylococcal IE, relatively high in-hospital mortality rates, shortage of surgical treatment despite guideline-based surgical indications and low usage of novel imaging techniques. The results of this study will provide a better insight to physicians in respect to their adherence to clinical practice guidelines. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement–Associated Infective Endocarditis: Comparison of Early, Intermediate, and Late-Onset Cases

BackgroundTranscatheter aortic valve replacement–associated infective endocarditis (TAVR-IE) is a relatively rare complication of TAVR. Little is known about the characteristics of early, intermediate, and late-onset TAVR-IE. MethodsWe studied the risk factors, microbiological patterns, and diagnostic and treatment strategies in patients with early (<60 days), intermediate (60-365 days), and late-onset (>1 year) TAVR-IE. ResultsTen out of 494 definite cases of prosthetic valve IE between 2007 and 2019 were confirmed to have TAVR-IE from the IE registry at our center. The mean age was 78.1 ± 13.7 years, with 50% being female. The mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons risk score was 7.8 ± 5.7. Most (60%) TAVR-IE cases had an intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism (66.6%). 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography aided in diagnosis of TAVR-IE in 20% of cases. Mortality due to IE was observed in 40% of cases. Most of the patients underwent conservative management, and 37.5% survived over a mean follow-up of 709 ± 453 days. Two patients underwent surgery, of whom one died on day 30 postoperatively from sepsis. Mortality due to IE occurred in 25% of cases in the early and intermediate-onset groups, while there was 100% mortality in the late-onset group. ConclusionsIn a single-center cohort, most TAVR-IE cases had an intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism. Understanding timing of TAVR-IE may have important prognostic implications.

Congestive heart failure in endocarditis: Prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome

Heart failure (HF) is the most common complication of infective endocarditis. Not only that, it represents one of the major causes of deaths in native valve infective endocarditis. Consequently, CHF is currently the main indication for early surgery in IE. This single-center study aims to assess to determine prevalence, clinical characteristics and to identify prognostic factors in patients with left-sided native valve IE complicated by congestive heart failure. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective study between December 2013 and September 2019. Patients with possible or definite infective endocarditis according to the European society of cardiology modified Duke Criteria (2015) were included in the study. Baseline clinical, echocardiographic characteristics and previous history of the patients were obtained from the hospital records. In total, 114 consecutive patients with definite left-sided native valve IE according to the Duke criteria were included in this analysis. Seventy patients (61%) presented a congestive heart failure at admission or during hospitalization. Comparing the patients with CHF to without CHF, new heart murmur, aortic valve vegetations and severe mitral or aortic regurgitation were more associated with congestive heart failure ( P = 0.04/ P = 0.005/ P = 0.034). Congestive heart failure was independently predictive of in-hospital mortality [OR: 4.2 (2.4–7.0)]. In-hospital mortality was 21.4% for the entire HF cohort, with lower mortality observed in patients undergoing valvular surgery compared with medical therapy alone (13.4% vs. 44.4%, respectively; P < 0.05). Left-sided native valve IE complicated by CHF is more frequent in aortic IE and is associated with severe regurgitation. In CHF patients, early surgery is independently associated with reduced mortality and should be widely considered to improve outcome.

Infective endocarditis in patients with aortic grafts

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) in patients with a valve-tube ascending aortic graft (AAG) is a rare entity with a challenging diagnosis and treatment. This study describes the clinical features, diagnosis and outcome of these patients. MethodsBetween 1996 and 2019, 1654 episodes of IE were recruited in 3 centres, of which 37 patients (2.2%) had prosthetic aortic valve and AAG-IE (21 composite valve graft, 16 supracoronary graft) and conformed our study group. ResultsPatients with aortic grafts were predominantly male (91.9%) and the mean age was 67.7 years. Staphylococci were the most frequently isolated microorganisms (32%). Viridans group streptococci were only isolated in patients with composite valve graft. TEE was positive in 89.2%. PET/CT was positive in all 15 patients in whom it was performed. Surgical treatment was performed in 62.2% of patients. In-hospital mortality was 16.2%. Heart failure and the type of infected graft (supracoronary aortic graft) were associated with mortality. Mortality among operated patients was 21.7%. Interestingly, 14 patients received antibiotic therapy alone, and only one died. Mortality was lower among patients with a composite valve graft compared to those with a supracoronary graft (4.8% vs 31.3%; p = 0.03). ConclusionsIn patients with AAG and prosthetic aortic valve IE, mortality is not higher than in other patients with prosthetic IE. Multimodality imaging plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of these patients. Heart failure and the type of surgery were risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Although surgical treatment is usually recommended, a conservative management might be a valid alternative treatment in selected patients.

Infective Endocarditis Secondary to Injection Drug Use: A Survey of Canadian Cardiac Surgeons

Injection drug use-associated infective endocarditis (IDU-IE) is a growing epidemic. The objective of this survey was to identify the beliefs and practice patterns of Canadian cardiac surgeons regarding surgical management of IDU-IE. A 30-question survey was developed by a working group and distributed to all practicing adult cardiac surgeons in Canada. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Of 146 surgeons, 94 completed the survey (64%). Half of surgeons (49%) would be less likely to operate on patients with IE if associated with IDU. In the case of prosthetic valve IE owing to continued IDU, 36% were willing to reoperate once and 14% were willing to reoperate twice or more. Most surgeons required commitments from patients before surgery (73%), and most referred patients to addiction services (81%). Some surgeons would offer a Ross procedure (10%) or homograft (8%) for aortic valve IE, and 47% would consider temporary mechanical circulatory support. Whereas only 17% of surgeons worked at an institution with an endocarditis team, 71% agreed that there was a need for one at each institution. Most surgeons supported the development of IDU-IE-specific guidelines (80%). Practice patterns and surgical management of IDU-IE vary considerably across Canada. Areas of clinical unmet needs include the development of a formal addiction services referral protocol for patients, the development of an interdisciplinary endocarditis team, as well as the creation of IDU-IE clinical practice guidelines.

Preoperative false-negative transthoracic echocardiographic results in native valve infective endocarditis patients: a retrospective study from 2001 to 2018

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) is a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnosis early. Although echocardiography is one of the most widely used diagnostic technique, it has limited sensitivity. This study surveyed the clinical features of IE patients who underwent surgery and compared transthoracic echocardiography and histological findings to explore the factors related to false-negative echocardiographic results.MethodsMedical records were extracted from IE patients consecutively hospitalized between June 2001 and June 2018.ResultsA total of 182 patients with native valve IE who underwent surgery were included. Compared to the non-surgery group, the surgery group was more likely to have pre-existing valvular lesions and more serious cardiac conditions and a relative lack of signs of infection and cerebrovascular events, leading to a lower proportion of “definite cases” before surgery. The false-negative rate of echocardiography was 14.5%. Echocardiography has significant disadvantages in diagnosing perivalvular abscesses, valve perforations, and left-sided endocarditis, especially for subjects with both aortic and mitral valve infections. The multivariate analysis identified congenital heart disease and small vegetations (< 10 mm) as independent predictors of false-negative echocardiography results. Conversely, fever and heart murmurs on admission served as protective factors.ConclusionsUnder some circumstances, echocardiography provides inconsistent results compared with surgical findings, and negative echocardiography results do not rule out IE. The diagnosis of IE depends on comprehensive evaluations using multiple methods.

Abstract 14160: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Associated Infective Endocarditis: Comparison of Early, Intermediate and Late Onset Cases

Introduction: Transcatheter aortic valve replacement associated infective endocarditis (TAVR-IE) is a relatively rare complication of TAVR. Little is known about the characteristics of early, intermediate versus late onset TAVR-IE. Methods: We studied the risk factors, microbiological patterns, diagnostic and treatment strategies in patients with early (&lt;60 days), intermediate (60-365 days) and late onset (&gt;1 year) TAVR-IE. Results: Ten out of 494 definite cases of prosthetic valve IE between 2007 and 2019, were confirmed to have TAVR-IE from the IE registry at our center. The mean age was 78.1 ± 13.7 years, with 50% being female. Most (90%) TAVR procedures were performed via transfemoral route, and one underwent transapical TAVR. Baseline comorbidities were common, with mean BMI 33.1 ± 5.5 kg/m2, diabetes and hypertension in 60% and chronic kidney disease in 50% of cases. Mean STS risk score was 7.8 ± 5.7. Most (60%) TAVR-IE cases had intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism (66.6%). Diagnostic modalities and complications are described in Table 1. Two cases had early onset TAVR-IE, one of which was due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and underwent successful surgical treatment. Late onset TAVR-IE was observed in 20% of cases. 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18-FDG-PET) aided in diagnosis of TAVR-IE in 20% of cases. Mortality due to IE was observed in 40% of cases. Most of the patients underwent conservative management, and 37.5% survived over a mean follow up of 709 ± 453 days. Two patients underwent surgery, of whom one died day 30 post-operatively from sepsis. Mortality due to IE occurred in 25% of cases in the early and intermediate onset groups, while there was 100% mortality in the late onset group. Conclusions: In a single-center cohort, most TAVR-IE cases had an intermediate onset, with Staphylococcus aureus being the most common organism. Late onset TAVR-IE was associated with higher mortality at follow-up.

Long-term mortality in patients with infective endocarditis who undergo aortic root replacement versus isolated aortic valve replacement

Abstract Background Infective endocarditis (IE) with involvement of the aortic root (root abscess or aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE)) is associated with high mortality and morbidity, and it often requires root replacement. IE-guidelines recommend surgery in patients with aortic root involvement (class B recommendation), but the surgical technique is challenging, and the perioperative risk is high. Long-term data are sparse for these high-risk patients and may help better select appropriate patients for surgery. Purpose We set out to investigate the short- and long-term mortality for patients with destructive aortic valve endocarditis who underwent aortic root replacement. For comparison, we included those who underwent isolated aortic valve replacement for IE (isolated AVR). Methods We included patients with first-time IE from 2000 to 2016 who underwent aortic valve surgery identified from The Eastern Danish Thoracic surgery database. Patient characteristics were identified by cross-linking Danish nationwide databases. Patients who underwent aortic root replacement were compared with those who underwent isolated AVR. Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to estimate and compare the associated 30-days and 10-year mortality risks between groups. Results We included 368 patients with aortic valve IE who underwent AVR surgery; 126 patients underwent aortic root replacement and 242 underwent isolated AVR. Median age for root replacement patients was 65.4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 56.2–73.0) compared with 62.1 years (IQR 52.3–71.6) for isolated AVR patients. In the root replacement group, 40.5% had prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE), whereas 6.6% had PVE in the isolated AVR group. 30-day mortality was 12.7% (CI95: 7.6%-19.2%) in the root replacement group and 7.0% (CI95: 4.3%-10.7%) in the isolated AVR group (P=0.06). Estimated 10-year mortality was 54.4% (CI95: 40.3%-67.6%) in the root replacement group and 45.3% (CI95: 35.7%-54.5%) (P=0.07) after isolated AVR (figure 1). At up to 10 years follow-up, there was no significant difference in adjusted mortality between the groups, adjusted HR=1.34 (CI 95: 0.90–2.00). Conclusion Patients with IE who underwent aortic root replacement surgery more often had a prosthetic heart valve, were older, and were more often male. There was no significant difference in long-term mortality between the groups. Nonetheless, long-term mortality was high – 50% of patients died by 10 years, and our results underline the need for stringent patient selection. Figure 1 Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Case report: A fatal case of aortic and mitral valve endocarditis caused by Streptobacillus moniliformis

BackgroundInfective endocarditis (IE) secondary to rat-bite fever (RBF) is rare but potentially lethal. Rapid diagnosis is of utmost prognostic importance. However, the diagnosis of RBF is challenging because Streptobacillus moniliformis does not grow under conventional culture conditions.Case summaryA 65-year-old male without previous cardiac history presented with sudden onset of balance problems and facial palsy. For 2 weeks, he had experienced intermittent fever and myalgia. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) revealed severe mitral and aortic valve IE with aortic root abscess. The patient underwent a double biological valve replacement. Blood cultures remained negative after 9 days of incubation. However, sub-cultivation on solid media demonstrated the growth of pleomorphic Gram-negative rods, identified as S. moniliformis. After 4 weeks of antibiotic therapy, he was discharged. One month later, control TOE showed valve excrescences and aortic annular aneurysm. Despite comprehensive surgery, antibiotic treatment, and intensive care, the patient died 1 week after reoperation.DiscussionA fatal outcome of S. moniliformis IE is rare. The majority of previous cases describe underlying valvular abnormalities or death due to insufficient antimicrobial therapy. Here, the patient had no prehistory of valvular heart disease and despite appropriate antibiotics, the outcome was fatal. Rapid diagnosis of RBF IE has prognostic implications. Identification of S. moniliformis is, however, difficult, because the bacterium is fastidious and does not grow under standard laboratory conditions. Therefore, diagnosis often relies on clinical symptoms or a history of rodent exposure. Close attention to this disease by clinicians, in addition to, dialogue with clinical microbiologists is essential.

Four weeks versus six weeks of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone in Enterococcus faecalis native valve endocarditis: A prospective cohort study.

Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) is a severe disease of increasing incidence. The objective was to analyze whether the outcome of patients with native valve EFIE (NVEFIE) treated with a short course of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (4wAC) was similar to patients treated according to international guidelines (6wAC). Between January 2008 and June 2018, 1,978 consecutive patients with definite native valve IE were prospectively included in a national registry. Outcomes of patients with NVEFIE treated with 4wAC were compared to those of patients who received 6wAC. Three hundred and twenty-two patients (16.3%) had NVEFIE. One hundred and eighty-three (56.8%) received AC. Thirty-nine patients (21.3%) were treated with 4wAC for four weeks and 70 patients (38.3%) with 6wAC. There were no differences in age or comorbidity. Patients treated 6wAC presented a longer duration of symptoms before diagnosis (21 days, IQR 7-60 days vs. 7 days, IQR 1-22 days; p = 0.002). Six patients presented perivalvular abscess and all of these received 6wAC. Surgery was performed on 14 patients (35.9%) 4wAC and 34 patients (48.6%) 6wAC (p = 0.201). In-hospital mortality, one-year mortality and relapses among 4wAC and 6wAC patients were 10.3% vs. 11.4% (p = 0.851); 17.9% vs. 21.4% (p = 0.682) and 5.1% vs. 4.3% (p = 0.833), respectively. In conclusion, a four-week course of AC may be considered as an alternative regimen in NVEFIE, notably in patients with shorter duration of symptoms and those without perivalvular abscess. These results support the performance of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of this short regimen.

Diagnosis of Infective Endocarditis by Subtype Using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography: A Contemporary Meta-Analysis.

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a difficult to diagnose condition associated with high mortality. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) has recently emerged as another IE imaging modality, although diagnostic accuracy varies across observational studies and types of IE. This meta-analysis assessed the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET/CT for IE and its subtypes. Methods We searched Pubmed, Cochrane, and Embase from January 1980 to September 2019 for studies reporting both sensitivity and specificity of 18F-FDG PET/CT for IE. Meta-Disc 1.4 was used to pool data for all cases of IE and its subgroups of native valve IE, prosthetic valve IE, and cardiac implantable electronic devices IE. Results We screened 2566 records from the search, assessed 52 full-text articles, and included 26 studies totaling 1358 patients (509 IE cases). Pooled sensitivity and specificity (95% CI, inconsistency I-square statistic) were 0.74 (0.70-0.77, 71.5%) and 0.88 (0.86-0.91, 78.5%) for all cases of endocarditis. Corresponding parameters for native valve IE were sensitivity 0.31 (0.21-0.41, 29.4%) and specificity 0.98 (0.95-0.99, 34.4%); for prosthetic valve IE: sensitivity 0.86 (0.81-0.89, 60.0%) and specificity 0.84 (0.79-0.88, 75.2%); and for cardiac implantable electronic devices IE: sensitivity 0.72 (0.61-0.81, 76.2%) and specificity 0.83 (0.75-0.89, 83.6%). Pooled sensitivities and specificities were higher for the 17 studies since 2015 than the 9 studies published before 2015. Conclusions 18F-FDG PET/CT had high specificity for all IE subtypes; however, sensitivity was markedly lower for native valve IE than prosthetic valve IE and cardiac implantable electronic devices IE. It is, therefore, a useful adjunct modality for assessing endocarditis, especially in the challenging scenarios of prosthetic valve IE and cardiac implantable electronic devices IE, with improving performance over time, related to advances in 18F-FDG PET/CT techniques.

Modelo predictivo de mortalidad hospitalaria en endocarditis infecciosa izquierda

Introduction and objectivesInfective endocarditis (IE) is a complex disease with high in-hospital mortality. Prognostic assessment is essential to select the most appropriate therapeutic approach; however, international IE guidelines do not provide objective assessment of the individual risk in each patient. We aimed to design a predictive model of in-hospital mortality in left-sided IE combining the prognostic variables proposed by the European guidelines. MethodsTwo prospective cohorts of consecutive patients with left-sided IE were used. Cohort 1 (n=1002) was randomized in a 2:1 ratio to obtain 2 samples: an adjustment sample to derive the model (n=688), and a validation sample for internal validation (n=314). Cohort 2 (n=133) was used for external validation. ResultsThe model included age, prosthetic valve IE, comorbidities, heart failure, renal failure, septic shock, Staphylococcus aureus, fungi, periannular complications, ventricular dysfunction, and vegetations as independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. The model showed good discrimination (area under the ROC curve=0.855; 95%CI, 0.825-0.885) and calibration (P value in Hosmer-Lemeshow test=0.409), which were ratified in the internal (area under the ROC curve=0.823; 95%CI, 0.774-0.873) and external validations (area under the ROC curve=0.753; 95%CI, 0.659-0.847). For the internal validation sample (observed mortality: 29.9%) the model predicted an in-hospital mortality of 30.7% (95%CI, 27.7-33.7), and for the external validation cohort (observed mortality: 27.1%) the value was 26.4% (95%CI, 22.2-30.5). ConclusionsA predictive model of in-hospital mortality in left-sided IE based on the prognostic variables proposed by the European Society of Cardiology IE guidelines has high discriminatory ability.