[Surgical treatment of congenital heart disease complicated with infective endocarditis]

To review the experience of surgical treatment and the diagnosis of 41 patients with congenital heart diseases complicated with infective endocarditis.

Twenty-three males and 18 females (the mean age 22.6 years) were studied. Twenty-seven patients received bacterial cultivation of blood specimens, and the results of bacterial cultivation of 11 patients were positive. Thirty-four patients underwent cardiac operations after infection was almost controlled, and 7 patients underwent operations during the infective phase. In all the cases, the infected tissues were excised, congenital cardiac was treated, and valvular dysfunctions were corrected.

The surgical treatment results were satisfactory. One patient (2.4%) died during hospitalization.

In our hospital, the incidence rate of infective endocarditis complicated with congenital heart diseases increases; echocardiography is a valuable tool in diagnosis; blood culture may be negative after previous administration of antibiotics; aggressive surgical treatment should be adopted in patients with congenital heart defects complicated with infective endocarditis.