A case-control study: are urological procedures risk factors for the development of infective endocarditis?

Nondental Invasive Procedures and Risk of Infective Endocarditis: Time for a Revisit: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association

There have been no published prospective randomized clinical trials that have: (1) established an association between invasive dental and nondental invasive procedures and risk of infective endocarditis; or (2) defined the efficacy and safety of antibiotic prophylaxis administered in the setting of invasive procedures in the prevention of infective endocarditis in high-risk patients. Moreover, previous observational studies that examined the association of nondental invasive procedures with the risk of infective endocarditis have been limited by inadequate sample size. They have typically focused on a few potential at-risk surgical and nonsurgical invasive procedures. However, recent investigations from Sweden and England that used nationwide databases and demonstrated an association between nondental invasive procedures, and the subsequent development of infective endocarditis (in particular, in high-risk patients with infective endocarditis) prompted the development of the current science advisory.

Isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis in a patient without structural heart disease or a history of intravenous drug use

We present a case of a febrile patient in his 70s who was found to have isolated native pulmonary valve vegetations on echocardiography, and Enterococcus faecalis on blood cultures. Of note, our patient had none of the typical risk factors associated with this rare form of endocarditis previously described in only a handful of case reports.

Temporal association between invasive procedures and infective endocarditis

OBJECTIVE

Antibiotic prophylaxis has been recommended for patients at increased risk of infective endocarditis (IE) undergoing specific invasive procedures (IPs) despite a lack of data supporting its use. Therefore, antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations ceased in the mid-2000s for all but those at high IE risk undergoing invasive dental procedures. We aimed to quantify any association between IPs and IE.

METHODS

All 14 731 IE hospital admissions in England between April 2010 and March 2016 were identified from national admissions data, and medical records were searched for IP performed during the 15-month period before IE admission. We compared the incidence of IP during the 3 months immediately before IE admission (case period) with the incidence during the preceding 12 months (control period) to determine whether the odds of developing IE were increased in the 3 months after certain IP.

RESULTS

The odds of IE were increased following permanent pacemaker and defibrillator implantation (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.85, p<0.001), extractions/surgical tooth removal (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.22 to 3.76, p=0.047), upper (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.85, p<0.001) and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.35 to 2.04, p<0.001) and bone marrow biopsy (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.69, p=0.039). Using an alternative analysis, bronchoscopy (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.68, p=0.049) and blood transfusions/red cell/plasma exchange (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.07 to 1.35, p=0.012) were also associated with IE.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identifies a significant association between specific IPs (permanent pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, dental extraction, gastrointestinal endoscopy and bronchoscopy) and subsequent IE that warrants re-evaluation of current antibiotic prophylaxis recommendations to prevent IE in high IE risk individuals.

Infective endocarditis: Role of molecular techniques in early diagnosis

Infective endocarditis (IE), a heart valve infection primarily caused by bacteria such as streptococci or staphylococci, causes significant morbidity and mortality. Despite the long-term use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, the infection is often difficult to manage. The latest diagnostic modalities for IE are discussed in this study. Blood culture use in pathogen identification can lead to loss of precious time as well as generation of false negative reports. The first steps in diagnosis are blood cultures and echocardiography, but molecular techniques can be extremely useful and may be used for an accurate and early diagnosis.

Streptococcus gallolyticus endocarditis on a prosthetic tricuspid valve: a case report and review of the literature

Background

Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus is a known pathogen that causes infective endocarditis, and most cases involve the left heart valves. We present the first reported case of prosthetic tricuspid valve endocarditis caused by this microorganism. Relevant literature is reviewed.

Case presentation

A 67-year-old Jewish female with a history of a prosthetic tricuspid valve replacement was admitted to the emergency department because of nonspecific complaints including effort dyspnea, fatigue, and a single episode of transient visual loss and fever. No significant physical findings were observed. Laboratory examinations revealed microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and a few nonspecific abnormalities. Transesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated a vegetation attached to the prosthetic tricuspid valve. The involved tricuspid valve was replaced by a new tissue valve, and Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus was grown from its culture. Prolonged antibiotic treatment was initiated.

Conclusions

Based on this report and the reviewed literature, Streptococcus gallolyticus should be considered as a rare but potential causative microorganism in prosthetic right-sided valves endocarditis. The patient’s atypical presentation emphasizes the need for a high index of suspicion for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis.

Prevalence of Infective Endocarditis in Enterococcus faecalis Bacteremia

BACKGROUND

Enterococcus faecalis is the third most frequent cause of infective endocarditis (IE). Despite this, no systematic prospective echocardiography studies have examined the prevalence of IE in patients with E. faecalis bacteremia.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to determine the prevalence of IE in patients with E. faecalis bacteremia. The secondary objective was to identify predictors of IE.

METHODS

From January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016, a prospective multicenter study was conducted with echocardiography in consecutive patients with E. faecalis bacteremia. Predictors of IE were assessed using multivariate logistic regression with backward elimination.

RESULTS

A total of 344 patients with E. faecalis bacteremia were included, all examined using echocardiography, including transesophageal echocardiography in 74% of the cases. The patients had a mean age of 74.2 years, and 73.5% were men. Definite endocarditis was diagnosed in 90 patients, resulting in a prevalence of 26.1 ± 4.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]). Risk factors for IE were prosthetic heart valve (odds ratio [OR]: 3.93; 95% CI: 1.76 to 8.77; p = 0.001), community acquisition (OR: 3.35; 95% CI: 1.74 to 6.46; p < 0.001), ≥3 positive blood culture bottles (OR: 3.69; 95% CI: 1.88 to 7.23; p < 0.001), unknown portal of entry (OR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.26 to 4.40; p = 0.007), monomicrobial bacteremia (OR: 2.73; 95% CI: 1.23 to 6.05; p = 0.013), and immunosuppression (OR: 2.82; 95% CI: 1.20 to 6.58; p = 0.017).

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed a high prevalence of 26% definite IE in patients with E. faecalis bacteremia, suggesting that echocardiography should be considered in all patients with E. faecalis bacteremia.

Enterococcal prosthetic valve endocarditis secondary to transurethral prostatic resection

Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a catastrophic complication of cardiac valve replacement, associated with high mortality rates. Staphylococci (both Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcui) are the most common cause of PVE. Diagnosis may often be difficult because of its complications and extracardiac manifestations. Positive blood and valve cultures are one of the most important diagnostic criteria for IE. Transesophageal echography should be performed without delay in all patients suspected to have PVE. As for treatment, according to the guidelines sensitive antimicrobials should be administered for 6 weeks. Surgery is recommended in case of PVE complicated by heart failure, severe prosthetic dysfunction, abscess or persistent fever. We present a case of PVE after transurethral resection of the prostate in a 63-year-old male patient with a history of mitral valve replacement. The patient was treated by appropriate antimicrobials for 6 weeks and recovered completely.

Bacteraemia during Transurethral Resection of the Prostate: What Are the Risk Factors and Is It More Common than We Think?

The aim of this work was to investigate the microbial causes, incidence, duration, risk factors and clinical implications of bacteraemia occurring during transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) surgery to better inform prophylaxis strategies. An ethically approved, prospective, cohort study of patients undergoing TURP was conducted. Clinical information and follow-up details were collected using standardized data collection sheets. Blood was obtained for culture at 6 different time points peri-procedure. Standard of care antibiotic prophylaxis was given prior to surgery. Bacteriuria was assessed in a pre-procedure urine sample. Histopathology from all prostate chips was assessed for inflammation and malignancy. 73 patients were consented and 276 blood samples obtained. No patients developed symptomatic bacteraemia during the procedure, 17 patients developed asymptomatic bacteraemia (23.2%). Enterococcus faecalis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most common organisms cultured. 10 minutes after the start of the TURP, the odds ratio (OR) of developing bacteraemia was 5.38 (CI 0.97-29.87 p = 0.05), and 20 minutes after the start of the procedure, the OR was 6.46 (CI 1.12-37.24, p = 0.03), compared to before the procedure. We also found an association between the development of intra-operative bacteraemia and recent antibiotic use (OR 4.34, CI 1.14-16.62, p = 0.032), the presence of a urinary catheter (OR 4.92, CI 1.13-21.51, p = 0.034) and a malignant histology (OR 4.90, CI 1.30-18.46, p = 0.019). There was no statistical relationship between pre-operative urine culture results and blood culture results. This study shows that asymptomatic bacteraemia is commonly caused by TURP and occurs in spite of antibiotic prophylaxis. Our findings challenge the commonly held view that urine is the primary source of bacteraemia in TURP-associated sepsis and raise the possibility of occult prostatic infection as a cause of bacteraemia. More work will be needed to determine the significance of transient bacteraemia in relation to more serious complications like infective endocarditis and malignancy.

Update on Antibiotic Prophylaxis for Genitourinary Procedures in Patients with Artificial Joint Replacement and Artificial Heart Valves

Infection of artificial joint replacements and heart valves is an uncommon but serious complication encountered anytime after the implantation of these prostheses. It is known that bacteremia can lead to infection of a prosthetic device. However, there is no strong evidence to correlate urologic procedures with the development of periprosthetic joint infection or prosthetic valve endocarditis. Therefore, antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of endocarditis is not recommended in patients undergoing urologic procedures. However, guidelines regarding prophylaxis to prevent infection of an artificial joint in the setting of a genitourinary procedure are more varied.

Is there a need for bacterial endocarditis prophylaxis in patients undergoing urological procedures?

Heart valve repair or replacement is a serious problem.The focused update on infective endocarditis of American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association 2008 (ACC/AHA guidelines) and Guidelines on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infective endocarditis (new version 2009) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC guidelines) describe prophylaxis against infective endocarditis as not recommended for urinary tract procedures in the absence of active infection. A statistical association has been recently shown between urological procedures and the development of infective endocarditis. New evidences concerning infective endocarditis due to Actinobaculum schaalii, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aerococci and Staphylococcus aureus, and new findings indicate there is a need for bacterial endocarditis prophylaxis in patients undergoing urological procedures especially in elderly patients and in cancer and immunocompromised patients, to avoid serious consequences.