Valve Infective Endocarditis Research Articles

Preliminary results from the Polish Infective Endocarditis Registry (POL-ENDO): time to change clinical approach?

Abstract Background/Aims: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe valve disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the profile and treatment outcomes of IE in Poland based on the POL-ENDO registry. Methods A prospective cohort, multicenter, observational study - the POL ENDO registry - of IE patients from 134 hospitals in Poland recruited between August 2022 and August 2023 was performed. We evaluated demographic, clinical, imaging, and treatment outcome data. A comparison of the Polish patients with those assessed in the ESC-EORP EURO-ENDO registry was performed. Results Among a total of 880 IE patients, 622 were male (70.7%). The POL-ENDO participants were older (61.4±16.7 years vs. 59.25±18.03 years, p=0.001). Native valve IE (NVIE) occurred more often in Poland (82.3% vs. 56.6%, p <0.001). Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed more frequently in Poland (93.6% vs. 89.8% p<0.001). New imaging techniques (CT/MRI/PET/SPECT) were less frequently used in Poland (CT: 53.2% vs. 41.3%, p<0.001; MRI: 18.7% vs. 6.4%, p<0.001). Heart failure (HF) occurred more often in Poland as inhospital complication (31.4% vs. 14%, p<0.001). Surgical treatment was less performed in Poland (51.2% vs. 36.9%, p<0.001). Inhospital mortality was higher in Poland (21% vs. 17%, p=0.008). Conclusion Polish patients with IE were significantly older and more comorbid. New imaging techniques are less frequently used in Poland. Echocardiography was performed more frequently in Poland as the diagnostic mainstay. Surgical treatment was significantly less frequent in Poland. Inhospital mortality in Poland is greater. The change of clinical practice in Poland should be considered.

Epidemiology and temporal trends of infective endocarditis between 2006 and 2018 at a tertiary referral center

Abstract Introduction Despite modern diagnostics, targeted antibiotic therapy and surgical treatment the mortality rate of infective endocarditis (IE) remains high. In developed countries both the risk factors and pathogens have changed. Objective and methods In our retrospective study we analyzed the clinical and microbiological characteristics, short- and long-term all-cause mortality, and temporal trends of consecutive patients admitted with IE between 2006 and 2018. Results We included 537 cases in our study, the mean age was 55.9 ± 16.5 years (72.2% male). 325 (60.5%) cases were native left-sided IE, 14 (3%) cases were right-sided IE, 130 (24%) cases were prosthetic valve IE, 62 (11.5%) cases were intracardiac device-related IE and 6 (1%) other cases. The most common microorganisms were Staphylococci (n=175; 33%), including 104 cases of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), 27 cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 44 cases of coagulase-negative Staphylococci. Streptococcus species were identified in 141 cases (26%), Enterococcus species in 88 cases (16%) and 72 cases (13%) were classified as blood culture-negative IE. In-hospital all-cause mortality was 14%, mortality at six months was 27%, at one-year was 31%, and at five-year was 45%. The incidence of MSSA infections increased over time (p=0.024), while coagulase-negative Staphylococci (p<0.001), and Streptococci (p=0.047) infections decreased. None of the observed mortality rates showed significant change over the study period. Predictors of mortality were advanced age (HR 1.37; p<0.001), impaired renal function (HR: 1.03; p<0.001), reduced ejection fraction on admission (HR 1.38; p<0.001), stroke (HR 1.74; p=0.001), and MRSA infection compared to Streptococci (HR 2.56; p=0.002). Conclusion During the observed 13-year period Staphylococci were the most common pathogens, with an increasing incidence of MSSA infection in our tertiary center. The mortality rate of IE remained high and showed no improvement over time.

Epidemiological profile and mortality of infective endocarditis over the past decade: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 133 studies comprising 132,355 cases

Abstract Background Understanding the epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) is crucial in the context of an aging population, increased comorbidities, and the heightened occurrence of healthcare-associated cases. Comprehensive data on causative agents, affected valves, and associated mortality are essential for current clinical practice. Methods This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. A random effects model meta-analysis was conducted. Eligible studies reporting outcomes on IE were identified through a search of the PubMed/Medline database from 2010 to 2021. Results One hundred-thirty-three studies with 132,584 patients from six continents were included in the analysis. The most common causative agents of IE were Staphylococci species in 36% of cases, followed by Streptococci species in 26% of cases and Enterococci species in 10% of cases. Of the studies providing further speciation, the predominant species was Staphylococcus aureus with an incidence of 29%, followed by Viridans Streptococcus with an incidence of 12%. We found an in-hospital/30-day mortality of 17% (CI: 16%-19%) from 109 studies worldwide. In the subgroup analysis, the highest mortality rates were observed in Latin America 33% (CI: 28%-38%) and Africa 25% (CI: 21%-30%), while the lowest mortality rates were reported in Oceania 13% (CI: 8%-19%), followed by North America 14% (CI: 11%-18%), Asia 15% (CI: 12%-18%), and Europe 17% (CI: 16%-19%). The aortic valve was affected in 46% of cases, followed by the mitral valve in 43%. Tricuspid valve IE and multivalvular IE were identified in 7% and 14% of the cases, respectively. Conclusion Our study highlights the shift in epidemiological profile of IE over the last decade with S. aureus identified as the most common causative microorganism of IE in almost one third of cases. IE remains a highly morbid and fatal condition with high mortality rates even in tertiary and high-expertise centers worldwide. While left-sided IE is by far more common, right-sided IE and multivalvular IE are not rare entities and should be considered early in the differential of patients presenting with suspected IE to decrease the risk of future complications.Global burden of infective endocarditis.

Infective Endocarditis by Listeria Species—A Systematic Review

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is more commonly caused by Gram-positive cocci, but Gram-positive bacilli may seldom cause the disease. Listeria monocytogenes is an aerobic Gram-positive coccobacillus and a foodborne and opportunistic pathogen most commonly causing gastrointestinal infections, even though bacteremia, sepsis, meningitis, and fetal infections may also occur. Listeria IE has rarely been described, with most reports being case reports or case series. Thus, the characteristics of this disease remain largely unknown. This systematic review aimed to present all published Listeria IE studies and describe their characteristics. A search of PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for studies providing information on epidemiology, clinical findings, treatment, and outcome of Listeria IE cases was performed. A total of 54 studies containing data from 62 patients were included. Among all patients, 64.5% were male; the median age was 69 years. Among all patients, 54.8% had a history of a prosthetic valve. The aortic valve was the most commonly affected, followed by the mitral. Fever, heart failure, and embolic phenomena were the most commonly encountered clinical findings. The only isolated species was L. monocytogenes. Antimicrobial resistance was relatively low for aminopenicillins and aminoglycosides, the most commonly used antimicrobials for treating L. monocytogenes IE. Surgery was performed in 27.4% of patients. Mortality was 37.1%. Patients who survived were more likely to have had a prosthetic valve, to have necessitated transesophageal echocardiography for the diagnosis, to have mitral valve IE, and to have had surgical management; however, no factor was identified in a multivariate logistic regression model as an independent factor for overall mortality.

The Evolving Epidemiology of Infective Endocarditis: An Observational Study from Western India

Background: Over the last few decades, the epidemiology and the management of infective endocarditis (IE) is undergoing significant evolution and advancements respectively. Many studies from the developed world and some from India have brought this to light. Objective: To study demography, risk factors, microbiological spectrum, clinical profile, management, and outcome of IE in a tertiary care setup in western India. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of 90 patients diagnosed with definite as well as possible IE and admitted to the intensive care units (ICU) and wards in our institute from April 2015 to May 2022. Demographics, signs and symptoms, laboratory results, echocardiography, radiological findings, treatment, and outcomes were studied. Results: 73 (81.1%) were definite and 17 (18.9%) were possible cases of IE. 93.3% cases were community-acquired, 6.7% were hospital acquired. Mean age of the patients was 43.3 + or - 18.8 years. Male: female ratio was 4.3:1. 62.2% had an underlying cardiac illness, with congenital heart disease (CHD) being the most common (18.9%) followed by rheumatic heart disease (RHD) (16.5%). Fever, weight loss, dyspnea, and cough were the common presenting symptoms. 69 (76.7 %) patients had native valve IE, 13 (14.4%) had prosthetic valve IE, 6 (6.7%) had vegetations on the endothelium without involvement of the valves, 2 (2.2%) patients had vegetations on the prosthetic material used for repair of congenital heart defects. About 48% of patients had a history of prior receipt of antibiotics. Blood cultures were positive in 48 (53.3%) patients. Most common valve infected was the mitral valve (MV) and the most common organisms isolated were the viridans group of streptococci (VGS), with penicillin (Pn) MIC <0.5 mcg/ml of all but one isolate. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), done in 17 patients, improved the pick-up of abnormal echo findings from 83.3% to 91.1%. Ceftriaxone was the most common antibiotic used. Surgery was done in 22 (24.4%) patients. 67 (74.4%) patients were cured, 14 (15.6%) patients died and 9 (10%) patients were lost to follow-up. Conclusion: The increasing age of patients, absence of any underlying cardiac ailment, the importance of TEE in patients with high suspicion of IE, and the trend towards early surgery were the important aspects highlighted with respect to the changes happening in the field of IE. Almost all the strains of VGS, the most common isolated organisms, retained their sensitivity to Pn and ceftriaxone, making the treatment possible with once-a-day dosing of ceftriaxone monotherapy, highlighting the utilization of outpatient antibiotic therapy (OPAT).

Clinical profile, microbiology and outcomes in infective endocarditis treated with aortic valve replacement: a multicenter case-control study

BackgroundAortic valve infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to describe the clinical profile, risk factors and predictors of short- and long-term mortality in patients with aortic valve IE treated with aortic valve replacement (AVR) compared with a control group undergoing AVR for non-infectious valvular heart disease.MethodsBetween January 2008 and December 2013, a total of 170 cases with IE treated with AVR (exposed cohort) and 677 randomly selected non-infectious AVR-treated patients with degenerative aortic valve disease (controls) were recruited from three tertiary hospitals with cardiothoracic facilities across Scandinavia. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios (HR) were estimated using Cox regression models.ResultsThe mean age of the IE cohort was 58.5 ± 15.1 years (80.0% men). During a mean follow-up of 7.8 years (IQR 5.1-10.8 years), 373 (44.0%) deaths occurred: 81 (47.6%) in the IE group and 292 (43.1%) among controls. Independent risk factors associated with IE were male gender, previous heart surgery, underweight, positive hepatitis C serology, renal failure, previous wound infection and dental treatment (all p < 0.05). IE was associated with an increased risk of both short-term (≤ 30 days) (HR 2.86, [1.36–5.98], p = 0.005) and long-term mortality (HR 2.03, [1.43–2.88], p < 0.001). In patients with IE, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (HR 2.13), underweight (HR 4.47), renal failure (HR 2.05), concomitant mitral valve involvement (HR 2.37) and mediastinitis (HR 3.98) were independent predictors of long-term mortality. Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent microbe (21.8%) and associated with a 5.2-fold increased risk of early mortality, while enterococci were associated with the risk of long-term mortality (HR 1.78).ConclusionsIn this multicenter case-control study, IE was associated with an increased risk of both short- and long-term mortality compared to controls. Efforts should be made to identify, and timely treat modifiable risk factors associated with contracting IE, and mitigate the predictors of poor survival in IE.

Infective Endocarditis in Patients With Bicuspid Aortic Valves: Unique Clinical and Microbiologic Features

Patients with bicuspid aortic valves (BAV) are at increased risk of infective endocarditis (IE). Information of the clinical presentation and the microbiology of BAV-associated IE, however, is limited. Therefore, our study aimed to characterise the clinical features native valve endocarditis (NVE) in the setting of BAV and compared them to patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) following BAV replacement. Adult patients with BAV or history of BAV with aortic valve replacement (AVR) and a definite or possible IE diagnosis within the Mayo Clinic Enterprise (USA) from January 2008 to December 2021, were included. BAV was confirmed by trans-oesophageal echocardiography. IE was defined according to the modified Duke criteria and only an initial episode was included. Statistical analyses were performed to compare clinical characteristics, microbiology, and IE complications. Overall, 161 patients with BAV and IE (NVE [n=60], 37.3%) and PVE [n=101, 62.7%) were included. Mean age±SD was 56.5±16.1 years, and 139 (86.3%) patients were males. PVE patients were older (p<0.01) and had a higher rate of hypertension (p<0.01), chronic heart failure (p<0.01), chronic kidney disease (p<0.01), and perivalvular abscess (p<0.01). BAV patients with NVE had a higher prevalence of isolated mitral valve IE (p<0.01), moderate to severe aortic valve regurgitation (p<0.01) and combined aortic with mitral valve IE (p<0.01). Streptococcus mitis was the most common pathogen in NVE (30.0%) while Staphylococcus aureus was the most common in PVE (15.8%). Patients with BAV are at risk of both NVE and PVE. Each syndrome has unique clinical features, including microbiologic findings, that should be appreciated in IE diagnosis and management.

Trend in Infective Endocarditis in Bulgaria: Characteristics and Outcome, 17-Years, Single Center Experience.

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a difficult disease to diagnose and treat, with a persistently high mortality rate. There is a lack of recent data on IE in Bulgaria over the last decades. This study is retrospective, single-centered, and includes 270 patients diagnosed with IE for the period 2005-2021. We compared two periods, 2005-2015 (n = 119) and 2016-2021 (n = 151), to find the characteristics changes. The study included 177 (65.5%) male patients. In the second period, there is a significant increase in age from 62 (44-73) to 67 (53-75), (p = 0.023); in the Charlson comorbidities index (CCI) from 3 (1-4) to 4 (2-6), (p = 0.000); in cases with chronic kidney diseases (CKDs) from 15 (12.6%) to 55 (36.9%), (p = 0.001); coronary arterial diseases (CADs) from 20 (16.85%) to 44 (29.1%), (p = 0.018); and atrial fibrillation (AF) from 13 (10.9%) to 36 (23.8%), (p = 0.006). Ejection fraction decreased significantly in the second period from 63 (56-70) to 59 (51-66), (p = 0.000). Almost half of the patients 123 (45.6%) had no known predisposing cardiac condition, and 125 (46.3%) had an unknown port of entry. IE was community-acquired in 174 (64.4%), healthcare-associated in 72 (26.7%), and injection-drug-use-related IE in 24 (8.9%). The study population included 183 (67.8%) native valve IE, 85 (31.5%) prosthetic IE, and 2 (0.74%) intracardiac-device-related IE. The hemocultures were positive in 159 (59.6%), and the most frequent pathogenic agent was staphylococci-89 (33.3%) (Staphylococcus aureus-44 (16.5%) and coagulase negative staphylococci-45 (16.8%)). Only 54 (20%) of patients underwent early surgery. The all-cause 30-day mortality rate was 67 (24.8%). There is no significant difference between the two periods in terms of the characteristics listed above. The profile of IE in Bulgaria has changed with increasing age and comorbidity, changing predisposing cardiac conditions, and entry door. The most common pathogen was the Staphylococcus spp. The 30-day mortality rate remains high.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis: comparison between transcatheter and surgical bioprostheses

Abstract Purpose Most data regarding infective endocarditis (IE) after transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) comes from TAVI registries, rather than IE dedicated cohorts. The objective of our study was to compare the clinical and microbiological profile, imaging features and outcomes of patients with IE after SAVR with a biological prosthetic valve (IE-SAVR) and IE after TAVI (IE-TAVI) from 6 centres with an Endocarditis Team (ET) and broad experience in IE. Methods Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data. From the time of first TAVI implantation in each centre to March 2021, all consecutive patients admitted for IE-SAVR or IE-TAVI were prospectively enrolled. Follow-up was monitored during admission and at 12 months after discharge. Results 169 patients with IE-SAVR and 41 with IE-TAVI were analysed. Early episodes were more frequent among IE-TAVI. Clinical course during hospitalization was similar in both groups, except for a higher incidence of atrioventricular block in IE-SAVR. The most frequently causative microorganisms were S. epidermidis, Enterococcus spp. and S. aureus in both groups. Periannular complications were more frequent in IE-SAVR. Cardiac surgery was performed in 53.6% of IE-SAVR and 7.3% of IE-TAVI (p=0.001), despite up to 54.8% of IE-TAVI patients had an indication. No differences were observed about death during hospitalization (32.7% vs 35.0%), and at 1-year follow-up (41.8% vs 37.5%), regardless of whether the patient underwent surgery or not. Conclusion Patients with IE-TAVI had a higher incidence of early prosthetic valve IE. Compared to IE-SAVR, IE-TAVI patients underwent cardiac surgery much less frequently, despite having surgical indications. However, in-hospital and 1-year mortality rate was similar between both groups.

Dalbavancin as sequential therapy in infective endocarditis: Real-life experience in elder and comorbid patients

ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dalbavancin as sequential therapy in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) due to gram positive bacteria (GPB) in a real-life heterogenous cohort with comorbid patients. MethodsA single center retrospective cohort study including all patients with definite IE treated with dalbavancin between January 2017 and February 2022 was developed. A 6-month follow-up was performed. The main outcomes were clinical cure rate, clinical and microbiological relapse, 6-month mortality, and adverse effects (AEs) rate. ResultsThe study included 61 IE episodes. The median age was 78.5 years (interquartile range [IQR] 63.2–85.2), 78.7% were male, with a median Charlson comorbidity index of 7 (IQR 4–9) points. Overall, 49.2% suffered native valve IE. The most common microorganism was Staphylococcus aureus (26.3%) followed by Enterococcus faecalis (21.3%). The median duration of initial antimicrobial therapy and dalbavancin therapy were 27 (IQR 20–34) and 14 days (IQR 14–28) respectively. The total reduction of hospitalization was 1090 days. The most frequent dosage was 1500mg of dalbavancin every 14 days (96.7%). An AE was detected in 8.2% of patients, only one (1.6%) was attributed to dalbavancin (infusion reaction). Clinical cure was achieved in 86.9% of patients. One patient (1.6%) with Enterococcus faecalis IE suffered relapse. The 6-month mortality was 11.5%, with only one IE-related death (1.6%). ConclusionThis study shows a high efficacy of dalbavancin in a heterogeneous real-world cohort of IE patients, with an excellent safety profile. Dalbavancin allowed a substantial reduction of in-hospital length of stay.

Infective Endocarditis-Characteristics and Prognosis According to the Affected Valves.

Infective endocarditis (IE) continues to be a disease with high mortality despite medical advances. The objective of this study was to investigate the characteristics and prognosis of IE according to the affected valves. This study was retrospective and single-centered, and it included 270 patients with a diagnosis of IE, for the period 2005-2021, who received treatment at the University Hospital "St. Georgi" in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Single-valve IE (SIE) was found in 82.6% (n-223), multivalvular IE (MIE) in 16.66% (n = 45) and device IE (CDRIE) in 0.74% (n = 2) of patients. The most commonly affected valve was the aortic valve, in 44.8% (n = 121). The predominant multivalvular involvement was aortic-mitral valves (AV-MV) (13.7%, n = 37). The patients with tricuspid valve (TV) IE were significantly younger, at 39 (30) years, and were more frequently male (80.8%). Mortality was higher in MIE than in SIE (31.1% vs. 23.8%) and was the highest in multivalve aortic-tricuspid (AV-TV) IE (75%). Early surgery was performed most in AV-MV IE, in 29.7% (n = 11). The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was significantly higher in MV 4 (4) and AV 3 (3) vs. TV IE 1 (5) (p = 0.048 and p = 0.011, respectively). Septic shock occurred most frequently in AV-TV involvement (75%; p = 0.0001). The most common causative agents were of the Staphylococcus group. Staphylococcus aureus more often affected TV alone (46.2%, n = 124) vs. AV (9.9%, n = 14; p = 0.0001) and vs. MV (22.6%, n = 17; p = 0.022); Staphylococcus coagulase-negative (CNG) was the prevalent cause of MV IE (22.7%, n = 17) vs. AV-MV (2.7%, n = 1; p = 0.007). Streptococci were represented in a low percentage and only in left-sided IE, more frequently in AV-MV (18.9%, n = 7) vs. AV (6.6%, n = 8; p = 0.025). The aortic valve is the most frequently affected valve, as single-valve IE or as multivalve AV-MV, with the predominant causative agents being of the Staphylococcus group. AV-TV IE has the worst prognosis, with the most common complication of septic shock and the highest in-hospital mortality.

To repair or to replace in mitral valve infective endocarditis? an updated meta-analysis

BackgroundValve infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially life-threatening condition that affects patients’ livelihoods. Current surgical options in mitral valve IE include mitral valve repair (MVr) or replacement (MVR). While each procedure boasts its merits, doubt remains as to which type of surgery is superior.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane literature databases for studies comparing MVR and MVr in mitral valve IE. Any randomized controlled trial (RCT) or observational studies that compare MVR vs. MVr in mitral valve IE were eligible. Our dichotomous outcomes were extracted in the form of event and total, and risk and hazard ratio (RR)(HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and were pooled and calculated using RevMan 5.0.ResultsOur study included 23 studies with a total population of 11,802 patients. Compared to MVR, MVr had statistically significant lower risks of both early mortality with RR [0.44; 95% CI, 0.38–0.51; p < 0.001] and long-term follow-up mortality with HR [0.70; 95% CI, 0.58–0.85; p = 0.0004]. Moreover, MVr was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of IE recurrence with RR [0.43; 95% CI, 0.32–0.58; p < 0.001]; however, no statistically significant differences between both groups in terms of re-operations with RR [0.83; 95% CI, 0.41–1.67; p = 0.60].ConclusionOur results suggest that MVr was superior in terms of in-hospital mortality, long-term survival, and risk of recurrence without significance in valve reoperation. Therefore, MVr is appropriate as a primary treatment choice and should be considered whenever possible in most IE patients.

Clinical and Echocardiographic Predictors of the In-Hospital Mortality and the Association with the Microorganisms in Patients with Infective Endocarditis

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infrequent, but serious disease with high mortality. Objective: To evaluate the factors predicting the in-hospital mortality in patients with IE and to determine the association between factors and microorganisms. Materials and Methods: The medical records of adult patients diagnosed with IE by modified Duke’s criteria at Siriraj Hospital, the largest tertiary referral center and medical school in Thailand, between December 2014 and April 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: One hundred thirty-nine patients with IE were included with an average age of 54.4±15.9 years and 62.6% were male. Native valve endocarditis (NVE) was diagnosed in 77.3%. The three most common pathogens were Streptococcus spp. at 50.4%, culture negative IE at 16.5%, and Staphylococcus aureus at 12.2%. Streptococcus spp. was the more common in NVE (p=0.017) and mitral valve IE (p=0.042). Heart failure and embolic stroke occurred in 43.9% and 12.2% of patients, respectively. Valve surgery was performed on 63 patients. Aortic, mitral, and multivalve involvements of IE were reported in 53.3%, 49.6%, and 10.1%, respectively. Valvular complications were detected in 40.3%, which were perforation, pseudoaneurysm, and perivalvular abscess in 30.2%, 8.6%, and 7.9%, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was 19.4% and significantly higher in older age (adjusted odd ratio [aOR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.003 to 1.11), renal insufficiency (aOR 21.37, 95% CI 3.95 to 115.57) and higher pulmonary artery systolic pressure (aOR 1.008, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.13). Conclusion: IE remains a serious disease with high mortality. The predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients with IE were age, renal insufficiency, and high pulmonary artery systolic pressure. Keywords: Infective endocarditis; IE; In-hospital mortality; Predictor

129 ANCA-associated pauci-immune crescentic necrotizing glomerulonephritis triggered by Bartonella henselae infective pulmonic valve endocarditis confirmed by 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan

129 ANCA-associated pauci-immune crescentic necrotizing glomerulonephritis triggered by Bartonella henselae infective pulmonic valve endocarditis confirmed by 18 F-FDG PET/CT scan

Haemophilus influenzae endocarditis: a case report and literature review.

Haemophilus influenzae (HI) is an exceedingly rare cause of infective endocarditis (IE). We present a case of a 90-year-old female diagnosed with HI-IE involving the native tricuspid valve in the absence of traditional risk factors for right-sided endocarditis. She was treated with a 5-week course of IV Ampicillin from negative cultures and suffered no complications. We also conducted a thorough literature review through PubMed and Google Scholar, which yielded a mere 15 reported cases of HI-IE. Fourteen of the reported HI-IE cases included epidemiological data, showing no gender predominance. The mean age of the subjects was 39.5, with the mitral valve being the most implicated (64%) and tricuspid valve involvement being rare (21%). Native tricuspid valve IE is an uncommon entity, especially in the absence of IV drug use. Haemophilus influenzae is an extremely rare cause of IE, with a literature review showing merely 15 reported cases. This article cites the 16th case of HI-IE published in the literature.

Suppressive antibiotic therapy for infectious endocarditis

ObjectivesSuppressive antibiotic therapy (SAT) is a long-term antibiotic strategy at times applied when an indicated surgical management of infective endocarditis (IE) is not possible. Our aim was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients having received SAT for IE. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, observational study at Strasbourg University Hospital, France between January 2020 and May 2023. We reviewed all medical files taken into consideration at weekly meetings of the local Multidisciplinary Endocarditis Team (MET) during the study period. We included patients having received SAT following the MET evaluation. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality at most recent follow-up. Secondary endpoints included all-cause mortality at 3 and 6 months, infection relapse, and tolerance issues attributed to SAT. ResultsThe MET considered 251 patients during the study time, among whom 22 (9 %) had received SAT. Mean age was 77.2 ± 12.3 years. Patients were highly comorbid with a mean Charlson index score of 6.6 ± 2.5. Main indication for SAT was surgery indicated but not performed or an infected device not removed (20/22). Fourteen patients had prosthetic valve IE, including 9 TAVIs. Six patients had IE affecting cardiac implantable electronic devices. Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci were the main bacteria involved (6/22 each). Median follow-up time was 249 days (IQR 95–457 days). Mortality at most recent follow-up was 23 % (5/22). Three patients (14 %) presented tolerance issues attributed to SAT, and two patients suffered late infectious relapse. ConclusionMortality at most recent follow-up was low and tolerance issues were rare for patients under SAT, which might be a palliative approach to consider when optimal surgery or device removal is not possible.

Benefits of On-X Mitral Valve Replacement in Cases of Infective Endocarditis

Purpose. Mitral valve replacement (MVR) is necessary in cases of severe infective endocarditis (IE). Because the On-X valve is expected to be effective in reducing prosthesis-associated turbulent blood flow, we investigated the hemodynamic efficacy of the On-X valve when used for MVR in cases of mitral valve IE. Methods. We compared postoperative outcomes between two groups of patients who underwent MVR for IE: 13 given an On-X valve and 27 given an SJM valve. Results. There were no in-hospital deaths. Late death occurred in 6 cases, all in the SJM group (P=0.1520). The incidence of late postoperative atrial fibrillation was relatively low in the On-X group (1 case vs. 10 cases, P=0.068). Univariate analysis showed an association between the effective orifice area and postoperative atrial fibrillation. The effective orifice area and indexed effective orifice area were significantly larger in the On-X group at 2.8 ± 0.7 cm2 vs. 2.2 ± 0.5 cm2 (P=0.007) and 1.8 ± 0.5 cm2/m2 vs. 1.4 ± 0.4 cm2 (P=0.003), respectively. Conclusions. The suggested reduction in left atrial load attributed to the use of the On-X valve in MVR for IE may reduce the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation.

External Validation of the 2023 Duke-International Society for Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases Diagnostic Criteria for Infective Endocarditis.

The 2023 Duke-International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases (ISCVID) criteria for infective endocarditis (IE) were introduced to improve classification of IE for research and clinical purposes. External validation studies are required. We studied consecutive patients with suspected IE referred to the IE team of Amsterdam University Medical Center (from October 2016 to March 2021). An international expert panel independently reviewed case summaries and assigned a final diagnosis of "IE" or "not IE," which served as the reference standard, to which the "definite" Duke-ISCVID classifications were compared. We also evaluated accuracy when excluding cardiac surgical and pathologic data ("clinical" criteria). Finally, we compared the 2023 Duke-ISCVID with the 2000 modified Duke criteria and the 2015 and 2023 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria. A total of 595 consecutive patients with suspected IE were included: 399 (67%) were adjudicated as having IE; 111 (19%) had prosthetic valve IE, and 48 (8%) had a cardiac implantable electronic device IE. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria were more sensitive than either the modified Duke or 2015 ESC criteria (84.2% vs 74.9% and 80%, respectively; P < .001) without significant loss of specificity. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria were similarly sensitive but more specific than the 2023 ESC criteria (94% vs 82%; P < .001). The same pattern was seen for the clinical criteria (excluding surgical/pathologic results). New modifications in the 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria related to "major microbiological" and "imaging" criteria had the most impact. The 2023 Duke-ISCVID criteria represent a significant advance in the diagnostic classification of patients with suspected IE.

The impact of concomitant infective endocarditis in patients with spondylodiscitis and isolated spinal epidural empyema and the diagnostic accuracy of the modified duke criteria.

The co-occurrence of infective endocarditis (IE) and primary spinal infections (PSI) like spondylodiscitis (SD) and isolated spinal epidural empyema (ISEE) has been reported in up to 30% of cases and represents a life-threatening infection that requires multidisciplinary management to be successful. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the clinical phenotypes of PSI patients with concomitant IE and furthermore to assess the accuracy of the modified Duke criteria in this specific population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study in consecutive SD and ISEE patients treated surgically at our University Spine Center between 2002 and 2022 who have undergone detailed phenotyping comprising demographic, clinical, imaging, laboratory, and microbiologic assessment. Comparisons were performed between PSI patients with IE (PSICIE) and without IE (PSIWIE) to identify essential differences. Methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) was the most common causative pathogen in PSICIE group (13 patients, 54.2%) and aortic valve IE was the most common type of IE (12 patients, 50%), followed by mitral valve IE (5 patients, 20.8%). Hepatic cirrhosis (p < 0.011; OR: 4.383; 95% CI: 1.405-13.671), septic embolism (p < 0.005; OR: 4.387; 95% CI: 1.555-12.380), and infection with Streptococcus spp. and Enterococcus spp. (p < 0.003; OR: 13.830; 95% CI: 2.454-77.929) were identified as significant independent risk factors for the co-occurrence of IE and PSI in our cohort. The modified Duke criteria demonstrated a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 66.7% for the detection of IE in PSI patients. Pathogens were detected more frequently via blood cultures in the PSICIE group than in the PSIWIE group (PSICIE: 23, 95.8% vs. PSIWIE: 88, 62.4%, p < 0.001). Hepatic cirrhosis (PSICIE: 10, 41.7% vs. PSIWIE: 33, 21.6%, p = 0.042), pleural abscess (PSICIE: 9, 37.5% vs. PSIWIE: 25, 16.3%, p = 0.024), sepsis (PSICIE: 20, 83.3% vs. PSIWIE: 67, 43.8%, p < 0.001), septic embolism (PSICIE: 16/23, 69.6% vs. PSIWIE: 37/134, 27. 6%, p < 0.001) and meningism (PSICIE: 8/23, 34.8% vs. PSIWIE: 21/152, 13.8%, p = 0.030) occurred more frequently in PSICIE than in PSIWIE patients. PSICIE patients received longer intravenous antibiotic therapy (PSICIE: 6 [4-7] w vs. PSIWIE: 4 [2.5-6] w, p < 0.001) and prolonged total antibiotic therapy overall (PSICIE: 11 [7.75-12] w vs. PSIWIE: 8 [6-12] w, p = 0.014). PSICIE patients spent more time in the hospital than PSIWIE (PSICIE: 43.5 [33.5-53.5] days vs. PSIWIE: 31 [22-44] days, p = 0.003). We report distinct clinical, radiological, and microbiological phenotypes in PSICIE and PSIWIE patients and further demonstrate the diagnostic accuracy of the modified Duke criteria in patients with PSI and concomitant IE. In the high-risk population of PSI patients, the modified Duke criteria might benefit from amending pleural abscess, meningism, and sepsis as minor criteria and hepatic cirrhosis as major criterion.

A Bayesian network-based approach for identifying risk factors and predicting ischemic stroke in infective endocarditis patients.

This study aimed to seek the risk factors and develop a predictive model for ischemic stroke (IS) in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) utilizing a Bayesian network (BN) approach. Data were obtained from the electronic medical records of all adult patients at three hospitals between 1 January 2018, and 31 December 2022. Two predictive models, logistic regression and BN, were used. Patients were randomly assigned to the training and test sets in a 7:3 ratio. We established a BN model with the training dataset and validated it with the testing dataset. The Bayesian network model was built by using the Tabu search algorithm. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs), calibration curve, and decision curve were used to evaluate the prediction performance between the BN and logistic models. A total of 542 patients [mean (SD) age, 49.6 (15.3) years; 137 (25.3%) female] were enrolled, including 151 (27.9%) with IS and 391 (72.1%) without IS. Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, age, vegetation size (>10 mm), S. aureus infection, and early prosthetic valve IE were closely correlated with IS. The BN models outperformed the logistic regression in training and testing sets, with accuracies of 76.06% and 74.1%, AUC of 0.744 and 0.703, sensitivities of 25.93% and 20.93%, and specificities of 96.27% and 90.24%, respectively. The BN model is more efficient than the logistic regression model. Therefore, BN models may be suitable for the early diagnosis and prevention of IS in IE patients.