Current status of infectious endocarditis: New populations at risk, new diagnostic and therapeutic challenges

Infective Endocarditis With Secondary Headache: A Case Report

Secondary headache is a symptom of an underlying disease. Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious infection of the heart tissue. Herein, we present a rare case of IE, with a secondary headache. The patient presented with persistent headache, fever of 39°C, myalgia, and painful erythema of the plantar surface of the foot. The headache progressively worsened over a few weeks. She was diagnosed with secondary headache, and sepsis was suspected. Blood culture revealed the presence of Streptococcus viridans, leading to a diagnosis of IE. Postoperatively, the patient recuperated without any complications. Headaches can be secondary to other conditions. Therefore, comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis are essential. Dentists must be aware that headache is a concomitant symptom of IE.

Long-term antibiotic therapy in patients with surgery-indicated not undergoing surgery infective endocarditis

BACKGROUND

To date, there is little information regarding management of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) that did not undergo an indicated surgery. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate prognosis of these patients treated with a long-term antibiotic treatment strategy, including oral long term suppressive antibiotic treatment in five referral centres with a multidisciplinary endocarditis team.

METHODS

This retrospective, multicenter study retrieved individual patient-level data from five referral centres in Spain. Among a total of 1797, 32 consecutive patients with IE were examined (median age 72 years; 78% males) who had not undergone an indicated surgery, but received long-term antibiotic treatment (LTAT) and were followed by a multidisciplinary endocarditis team, between 2011 and 2019. Primary outcomes were infection relapse and mortality during follow-up.

RESULTS

Among 32 patients, 21 had IE associated with prostheses. Of the latter, 8 had an ascending aorta prosthetic graft. In 24 patients, a switch to long-term oral suppressive antibiotic treatment (LOSAT) was considered. The median duration of LOSAT was 277 days. Four patients experienced a relapse during follow-up. One patient died within 60 days, and 12 patients died between 60 days and 3 years. However, only 4 deaths were related to IE.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study results suggest that a LTAT strategy, including LOSAT, might be considered for patients with IE that cannot undergo an indicated surgery. After hospitalization, they should be followed by a multidisciplinary endocarditis team.

Short- and long-term mortality in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis not undergoing surgery despite indication

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

In infective endocarditis (IE), decisions on surgical interventions are challenging and a high percentage of patients with surgical indication do not undergo these procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the short- and long-term prognosis of patients with surgical indication, comparing those who underwent surgery with those who did not.

METHODS

We included 271 patients with left-sided IE treated at our institution from 2003 to 2018 and with an indication for surgery. There were 83 (31%) surgery-indicated not undergoing surgery patients with left-sided infective endocarditis (SINUS-LSIE). The primary outcome was all-cause death by day 60 and the secondary outcome was all-cause death from day 61 to 3 years of follow-up. Multivariable Cox regression and propensity score matching were used for the analysis.

RESULTS

At the 60-day follow-up, 40 (21.3%) surgically-treated patients and 53 (63.9%) SINUS-LSIE patients died (P <.001). Risk of 60-day mortality was higher in SINUS-LSIE patients (HR, 3.59; 95%CI, 2.16-5.96; P <.001). Other independent predictors of the primary endpoint were unknown etiology, heart failure, atrioventricular block, and shock. From day 61 to the 3-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in the risk of death between surgically-treated and SINUS-LSIE patients (HR, 1.89; 95%CI, 0.68-5.19; P=.220). Results were consistent after propensity score matching. Independent variables associated with the secondary endpoint were previous IE, diabetes mellitus, and Charlson index.

CONCLUSIONS

Two-thirds of SINUS-LSIE patients died within 60 days. Among survivors, the long-term mortality depends more on host conditions than on the treatment received during admission.