Clinical, laboratory, microbiological and echocardiographic characteristics of infective endocarditis in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Objectives: infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially fatal disease. This study analyzed the clinical, laboratory, microbiological and echocardiographic characteristics of IE in a population of patients at a tertiary care hospital in Medellín, Colombia, over a three-year period.

Methods: a retrospective observational study. The patients were classified according to the modified Duke criteria. Clinical and echocardiographic data, laboratory results and cultures were gathered from the clinical charts. Factors associated with the prognosis were determined.

Results: a total of 48 cases were included, 29 (60.4%) of which involved males. The mean age was 53.8±19.2 years. Fever and fatigue were the most common clinical signs. No heart murmurwas reported on admission in 52.1% of the patients. Most of the patients (62.5%) had no underlying predisposing heart condition. The IE occurred in a native valve in 36 patients (75%), with the mitral valve being the most frequently affected site. Transthoracic and/or transesophageal echocardiography showed vegetations in 45 cases (93.7%); these were mostly mobile, with an average size of 17.6±11.3 mm. Staphylococcus aureus was the main causal organism (33%). The prevalence of IE with negative blood cultures was 37.5%. The most frequent complication was embolism in 21 patients (43.7%), followed by heart failure (41.7%). On multivariate analysis, septic shock, kidney failure, Staphylococcus infection and the use of immunosuppressants were predictors of higher inpatient mortality.

Conclusions: most cases occur in elderly patients with no underlying predisposing heart condition, in a native valve, with a predilection for the mitral valve. Staphylococcus aureus is the most frequent causal organism. Several factors predict greater inpatient mortality, including the presence of septic shock, kidney failure, Staphylococcus infection and the use of immunosuppressants