Long-term results after operations for active infective endocarditis in native and prosthetic valves

The objective of this study was to evaluate the midterm results of patients who underwent operations for active infective endocarditis.

Within a 10-year period, 141 patients with active infective endocarditis received surgical therapy. We assessed outcome, freedom from reinfection, and freedom from reintervention. Prosthetic valve endocarditis was included in this series.

Surgical strategies included valve replacement with a tissue valve in 62% of patients and valve repair in 29% of patients. In 29% of patients, reconstruction of the aortomitral continuity, left ventricular outflow tract, or sinus of Valsalva was preferably performed with 1 or more bovine pericardial patches. In-hospital mortality was 11% and postoperative stroke rate was 7%. Multivariate logistic regression revealed multivalve involvement (p=0.052; odds ratio [OR], 5.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.98-34.57), preoperative neurologic impairment (p=0.006; OR, 9.71; 95% CI, 1.92-49.09), and European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE) in quartiles (p=0.023; OR, 2.88; 95% CI, 1.15-7.17) to be independent predictors for in-hospital death. One-year and 5-year actuarial survival was 77% and 69%, respectively. One-year and 5-year actuarial freedom from reinfection was 100% and 90%, respectively. Freedom from reoperation at 5 years was 100%. Five-year survival was 74% for single-valve endocarditis and 46% for multivalve endocarditis (p<0.001). One-year freedom from reinfection was 100% for both single-valve and multivalve endocarditis; 5-year freedom from reinfection was 95% for single-valve endocarditis versus 67% for multivalve endocarditis (p=0.049).

Despite a high early mortality during the first year, surgical intervention for active infective endocarditis provided excellent results with regard to freedom from reinfection and reoperation. A strategy of extensive debridement, reconstruction of destroyed cardiac structures using xenopericardium, followed by valve replacement or repair is highly effective and shows favorable long-term outcomes.