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Changing trends of infective endocarditis
Naveed Ullah Khan1, Muhammad Tariq Farman, Jawaid Akbar Sial
1National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi.
Insights
This study found that nearly half of infective endocarditis cases were culture-negative, with Staphylococcus being the most common pathogen. This highlights potential shifts in bacterial endocarditis trends.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious infection affecting heart valves.
- Understanding the causative organisms and culture results is crucial for effective treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of culture-positive and culture-negative endocarditis.
- To identify the types of organisms responsible for bacterial endocarditis at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted from March to October 2006.
- Seventy-five patients meeting Duke Criteria for definite infective endocarditis were included.
- Data collection involved clinical assessment and blood cultures.
Main Results:
- The study included 75 patients, predominantly males (70%) and young (90% < 40 years).
- Blood cultures were positive in 53.3% of cases and negative in 46.7%.
- Staphylococcus, particularly coagulase-negative staphylococci (35%), was the most common organism in culture-positive cases.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest a changing spectrum of organisms causing bacterial endocarditis in the local community compared to Western reports.
- Further research is needed to understand the reasons behind these evolving trends in infective endocarditis.
Objective:
To determine the frequency of culture positive and culture negative endocarditis and type of organisms causing bacterial endocarditis in patients admitted at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Karachi.
Methods:
This was a cross sectional, descriptive study conducted from 29th March 2006 to 13th October 2006 at National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Karachi. All patients having clinical suspicion of infective endocarditis were admitted and worked up. Seventy five patients having definite infective endocarditis as per Duke Criteria were included.
Results:
There were 55 (70%) males and 20 (30%) females. Mean age of the patients was 23 +/- 8.9 years. Ninety percent of the patients were below 40 years of age. Six patients had prosthetic valve and six were intravenous drug abusers. The commonest signs and symptoms observed were fever, shortness of breath, weight loss, murmur, pallor and splenomegaly. Mitral valve was affected in majority of patients. Blood cultures were positive in 40 (53.3%) cases while 35 (46.7%) cases were culture negative. Nine (22.5%) patients out of 40 culture positive cases and 29 (82.8%) patients out of 35 culture negative cases were using antibiotics before admission. All six intravenous drug abusers showed culture positive endocarditis. Among culture positive cases, staphylococcus group was found in 21 (52.5%) cases while streptococcus group in 11 (27.5%) cases. Coagulase negative staphylococci were found to be the most common organism, that is 14/40 (35%) patients.
Conclusion:
Changes in spectrum of organisms causing bacterial endocarditis reported by western researchers do exist in our community. To know the reason behind these changing trends needs further advanced studies and evaluation.
Related Concept Videos
Endocarditis I: Introduction
Endocarditis II: Clinical Features of Infective Endocarditis
Endocarditis III: Medical Management
Endocarditis IV: Nursing Management
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