Evaluation of empirical treatment for blood culture-negative endocarditis

A Dual-Pathogen Mitral Valve Endocarditis Caused by Coxiella burnetii and Streptococcus gordonii-Which Came First?

Infective endocarditis (IE) is still a life-threatening disease with high morbidity and mortality. While usually caused by a single bacterium, poly-microbial infective endocarditis (IE) is rare. Here, we report a (blood-culture-negative) dual pathogen mitral valve IE caused by Coxiella burnetii and Streptococcus gordonii: A 53-year-old woman was presented to an internal medicine department with abdominal pain for further evaluation. Within the diagnostic work up, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed an irregularly shaped echogenic mass (5 × 13 mm) adherent to the edge of the posterior mitral valve leaflet and protruding into the left atrium. As infected endocarditis was suspected, blood cultures were initially obtained, but they remained negative. Chronic Q fever infection was diagnosed using serologic testing. After the occurrence of cerebral thromboembolic events, the patient was admitted for mitral valve surgery. Intraoperatively, a massively destructed mitral valve with adhering vegetations was noted. Examination of the mitral valve by broad-range bacterial polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplicon sequencing confirmed Coxiella burnetii infection and yielded Streptococcus gordonii as the second pathogen. Based on the detailed diagnosis, appropriate antibiotic therapy of both pathogens was initiated, and the patient could be discharged uneventfully on the 11th postoperative day after a successful minimal-invasive mitral valve replacement.

Comparing Treatment Outcomes of Ampicillin-Sulbactam, Other β-Lactams, and Vancomycin in Blood Culture-Negative Infective Endocarditis

Selection of proper antibiotics for blood culture-negative infective endocarditis (BCNIE) is difficult due to limited data on antibiotic regimens for BCNIE in existing literature. The aim of this study was to compare ampicillin-sulbactam, other β-lactams antibiotics, and vancomycin among patients with BCNIE to determine the proper antibiotic regimens. This retrospective study included adult patients with BCNIE admitted to Severance Hospital from November 2005 to August 2017. Patients were classified into three groups as, treated with ampicillin-sulbactam, other β-lactams, and vancomycin. The primary outcome was 1-year all-cause mortality. A total of 74 cases with BCNIE were enrolled in this study. There were no statistically significant differences in clinical characteristics between the three groups. One-year mortality did not significantly differ between the study groups either. Further, in-hospital mortality, 28-day mortality and overall mortality showed no difference. However, Cox-regression analysis showed nosocomial infective endocarditis as an independent risk factor and a protective effect of surgery on 1-year mortality. This study showed no clear difference in the outcomes of BCNIE as per the antibiotic therapy but suggested the beneficial effect of surgical treatment. With increasing global concern of antimicrobial resistance, it might be reasonable to select ampicillin-sulbactam-based antibiotic therapy while actively considering surgical treatment in BCNIE.

Impact of Infectious Disease Consultation on Management and Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis

BACKGROUND

Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and successful management requires expertise in both cardiac surgery and infectious disease (ID). However, the impact of ID consultation on the clinical outcomes of IE is not clear.

METHODS

The present study was a quasi-experimental, interrupted time series analysis of the clinical outcomes of patients with IE before (April 1998-April 2008) and after (May 2008-March 2019) the establishment of an ID department at a tertiary care hospital in Japan. The primary outcome was clinical failure within 90 days, defined as a composite of all-cause mortality, unplanned cardiac operation, new-onset embolic events, and relapse of bacteremia caused by the original pathogen.

RESULTS

Of 238 IE patients, 59 (25%) were treated in the preintervention period, and 179 (75%) were treated in the postintervention period. Establishment of an ID department was associated with a 54% reduction in clinical failure (relative risk, 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-1.02; P = .054) and a 79% reduction in new-onset embolic events (relative risk, 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.07-0.71; P = .01). In addition, the rate of inappropriate IE management significantly decreased (relative risk, 0.06; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.22; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Establishment of an ID department at a tertiary care hospital was associated with improved management, better clinical outcomes, and reduced embolic events in patients with IE admitted to the hospital.

COVID-19 concomitant with infective endocarditis: A case report and review of management

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a pandemic and public health crisis across the world. With its high infectivity and rapid spread, the severity of the disease is escalating in certain populations, especially in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease. In developing countries, infective endocarditis remains a problem in patients with rheumatic heart disease. We report the case of a patient with a diagnosis of infective endocarditis concomitant with COVID-19, including the diagnosis, management, and main outcomes.

Culture-negative endocarditis with neurologic presentations and dramatic response to heparin: a case report

Background

Blood culture-negative endocarditis (BCNE) is diagnosed in 2–7% of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and recent antibiotic use is a known risk factor. Altered mental status may be a presenting symptom. Besides empiric antibiotics, intravenous anticoagulation using heparin may have a role in the management of such patients.

Case presentation

A 23-year-old male patient was referred to our center with fever, altered mental status and abnormal gait. Neurologic examination revealed Wernicke’s aphasia. Cardiac auscultation revealed systolic murmur at the left sternal border. ECG (electrocardiogram) was unremarkable. Brain MRI showed multiple cerebellar lesions. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated three large masses on the right ventricle (RV), tricuspid valve (TV), and anterior mitral valve (MV) leaflet. Blood cultures (three sets) were negative. Intravenous heparin therapy was administered. After 48 h, the second TTE demonstrated that one valvular lesion disappeared and the other two lesions showed a significant decrease in size. The patient’s neurological symptoms resolved gradually. Further workup for collagen vascular disorders did not show any abnormality.

Conclusion

BCNE should be considered in patients with fever and neurologic manifestations. TTE should be performed to detect valvular abnormalities. Intravenous heparin could be used in such patients when TTE demonstrate valvular vegetations.

Factors Affecting Mortality in Patients with Blood-Culture Negative Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis retains high morbidity and mortality rates despite recent advances in diagnostics, pharmacotherapy, and surgical intervention. Risk stratification in endocarditis patients, including blood-culture negative endocarditis, is crucial in deciding the optimal management strategy; however, the studies investigating risk stratification in these patients were lacking despite the difference with blood-culture positive endocarditis. The aim of this study is to identify risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality in blood-culture negative infective endocarditis patients. A retrospective cohort study was conducted at National Cardiovascular Center Harapan Kita, Jakarta in blood-culture negative infective endocarditis patients from 2013 to 2015. Patient characteristics, clinical parameters, echocardiographic parameters, and clinical complications were collected from medical records and hospital information systems. There were 146 patients that satisfy the inclusion and exclusion criteria out of 162 patients with blood-culture infective endocarditis. The in-hospital mortality rate was 13.5%. On bivariate analyses, factors that were related to in-hospital mortality include New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III and IV heart failure ( p  = 0.007), history of hypertension ( p  = 0.021), stroke during hospitalization ( p  < 0.001), the decline in renal function ( p  < 0.001), and surgery ( p  = 0.028). Variables that were independently associated with mortality upon multivariate analysis were heart failure NYHA functional class III and IV (OR 7.56, p  = 0.011), worsening kidney function (OR 10.23, p  < 0.001), and stroke during hospitalization (OR 8.92, p  = 0.001). Presence of heart failure with NYHA functional class III and IV, worsening kidney function, and stroke during hospitalization were independently associated with in-hospital mortality in blood-culture infective endocarditis patients.

Opportunities for antibiotic optimisation and outcome improvement in patients with negative blood cultures: study protocol for a cluster-randomised crossover trial, the NO-BACT study

INTRODUCTION

Patients with negative blood cultures (BCx) represent 85%-90% of all patients with BCx taken during hospital admission. This population usually includes a heterogeneous group of patients admitted with infectious diseases or febrile syndromes that require a blood culture. There is very little evidence of the clinical characteristics and antibiotic treatment given to these patients.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

In a preliminary exploratory prospective cohort study of patients with BCx taken, the clinical/therapeutic characteristics and outcomes/antimicrobial stewardship opportunities of a population of patients with negative BCx will be analysed. In the second phase, using a cluster randomised crossover design, the implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention targeting patients with negative BCx will be evaluated in terms of quality of antimicrobial use (duration and de-escalation), length of hospital stay and mortality.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This study has been and registered with clinicaltrials.gov. The findings of our study may support the implementation in clinical practice of an antimicrobial stewardship intervention to optimise the use of antibiotics in patients with negative BCx. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated at national and international conferences.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03535324.

From Expert Protocols to Standardized Management of Infectious Diseases

We report here 4 examples of management of infectious diseases (IDs) at the University Hospital Institute Méditerranée Infection in Marseille, France, to illustrate the value of expert protocols feeding standardized management of IDs. First, we describe our experience on Q fever and Tropheryma whipplei infection management based on in vitro data and clinical outcome. Second, we describe our management-based approach for the treatment of infective endocarditis, leading to a strong reduction of mortality rate. Third, we report our use of fecal microbiota transplantation to face severe Clostridium difficile infections and to perform decolonization of patients colonized by emerging highly resistant bacteria. Finally, we present the standardized management of the main acute infections in patients admitted in the emergency department, promoting antibiotics by oral route, checking compliance with the protocol, and avoiding the unnecessary use of intravenous and urinary tract catheters. Overall, the standardization of the management is the keystone to reduce both mortality and morbidity related to IDs.

Marseille scoring system for empiric treatment of infective endocarditis

Despite advances in medical, surgical, and critical care, infective endocarditis (IE) remains associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the performance of the Marseille score, including clinical data and biological tests obtained within 2 h, to identify patients at high risk of IE in order to initiate early antimicrobial treatment. This was secondarily confirmed using modified ESC criteria combined with molecular testing and ⁽¹⁸⁾fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography as diagnostic tools. In a prospective cohort study, we enrolled 484 patients with cardiovascular predisposition and clinical suspicion of IE from 2011 to 2013. The final diagnosis was definite IE in 123 patients and possible IE in 107. Marseille score was calculated adding one point for each present parameter (range 0-9). This score includes clinical, epidemiological (male, fever, splenomegaly, clubbing, vascular disease and stroke) and biological criteria (Leucocytes >10,000/mm3, sedimentation rate (SR) > 50/mm or C reactive protein >10 mg/L and hemoglobin <100 g/l). A score of 2 or more performed best in predicting IE in patients with predisposing heart lesions. Sensitivity was better on left-side heart lesions (94%) than on right-side heart lesions (85%) (p = 0.04) and better for valvulopathy (94%) than intra cardiac devices (84%) (p = 0.02). The predictive positive value of prosthetic valves was greater than that of native valves (p = 0.02). Using our simple Marseille score combined with our standardized diagnostic procedures would help improve IE management by focusing on early empiric treatment within 2 h of admission for patients with cardiac predisposition factors.