<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Introduction: Despite all the progresses made in the management of infectious and cardiovascular diseases, the incidence of infective endocarditis remains high. Aim: the assessment of etiological, clinical, therapeutic aspects in patients with endocarditis. Material and method: A retrospective observational study in 40 patients with infective endocarditis was conducted, over a period of 5 years. Parameters related to demographic, risk factors, clinical aspects, nature and location of valve damage, bacteriological and therapeutic parameters were assessed. Echocardiography was used to confirm the location of the endocarditis; the aetiology of the disease was identified through the isolation of bacteria from blood cultures by using an automatic BacT/ALERT® system. Results: Patients’ age ranged between 31 - 84 years old. The disease was present predominantly in male patients (67.5%). 70% of the patients were positively diagnosed with endocarditis and 30% with possible endocarditis; the most frequent localization was the native valves in 75% of the cases, compared to the localization in the prosthetic valves, 25%; the aortic valve was involved in 60% of the cases, mitral valve in 40% of the patients. Aetiology of endocarditis was confirmed in 55% of cases as follows: Enterococcus fecalis, speciae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus gallolyticus, coagulase-positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, coagulasepositive methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lungdunensis, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Streptococcus gordonii, viridans, agalactiae. Antibiotic treatment was administered according to the antibiogram in 55% of the cases. Conclusions: Staphylococcus speciae was the most frequent etiologic agent both in case of native and prosthetic valve endocarditis, with aortic valve predominance.</abstract>

Introduction: Despite all the progresses made in the management of infectious and cardiovascular diseases, the incidence of infective endocarditis remains high. Aim: the assessment of etiological, clinical, therapeutic aspects in patients with endocarditis. Material and method: A retrospective observational study in 40 patients with infective endocarditis was conducted, over a period of 5 years. Parameters related to demographic, risk factors, clinical aspects, nature and location of valve damage, bacteriological and therapeutic parameters were assessed. Echocardiography was used to confirm the location of the endocarditis; the aetiology of the disease was identified through the isolation of bacteria from blood cultures by using an automatic BacT/ALERT® system. Results: Patients’ age ranged between 31 - 84 years old. The disease was present predominantly in male patients (67.5%). 70% of the patients were positively diagnosed with endocarditis and 30% with possible endocarditis; the most frequent localization was the native valves in 75% of the cases, compared to the localization in the prosthetic valves, 25%; the aortic valve was involved in 60% of the cases, mitral valve in 40% of the patients. Aetiology of endocarditis was confirmed in 55% of cases as follows: Enterococcus fecalis, speciae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus gallolyticus, coagulase-positive methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, coagulasepositive methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lungdunensis, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Streptococcus gordonii, viridans, agalactiae. Antibiotic treatment was administered according to the antibiogram in 55% of the cases. Conclusions: Staphylococcus speciae was the most frequent etiologic agent both in case of native and prosthetic valve endocarditis, with aortic valve predominance.

Infective Endocarditis – An Observational Study

Infectious Diseases, Department M4 Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu Mures, Romania

Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Department M2 Functional and Additional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu Mures, Romania

Anatomy, Department M1 Morphological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu Mures, Romania

Family Medicine, Department M3 Clinical Sciences and Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Tirgu Mures, Romania

ARS Medica Tomitana

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Infective Endocarditis \u2013 An Observational Study"}

Introduction: Despite all the progresses made in the management of infectious and cardiovascular diseases, the incidence of infective endocarditis remains...

Infective Endocarditis – An Observational Study

Published Online: Jul 29, 2015

Page range: 87 - 94

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/arsm-2015-0026

Keywords
endocarditis, diagnosis, aetiology, treatment, complications

© by Brindusa Tilea

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Infective Endocarditis – An Observational Study

Published Online: Jul 29, 2015

Page range: 87 - 94

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/arsm-2015-0026

Keywordsendocarditis, diagnosis, aetiology, treatment, complications

© by Brindusa Tilea

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
endocarditis, diagnosis, aetiology, treatment, complications