Cases of active infective endocarditis in a university hospital during a 10-year period

To determine the features of patients with active infective endocarditis, and to identify causative microorganisms in blood and/or valve cultures.

The retrospective study was conducted at the Surgical Intensive Care Unit of Istanbul University Cardiology Institute, Istanbul, Turkey, and comprised 22 patients with clinical evidence of the affliction who underwent operation between January 2001 and December 2010. Modified Duke Criteria was used for the diagnosis of the condition. Frequencies and percentages were calculated.

The mean age of the patients was 46.68 +/- 18 years, and 12 (54.5%) were male. Native valve endocarditis was present in 13 (59.1%) cases and prosthetic valve endocarditis was present in 9 (40.9%). Rheumatic heart disease was the commonest underlying heart disease (n = 12; 54.5%). None of patient was intravenous drug abuser and positive for human immunodeficiency virus. Operative mortality was 18% (n = 4). Vegetation and abscess formation were detected in 19 (86.3%) cases. Blood culture positivity was 50% (n =11). Staphylococci was the most common causative micro-organism (n = 4; 36.3%), followed by Streptococci (n = 3; 27.3%), and 1 (9.1%) each for Enterococci, Brucella species, Candida albicans and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. Positive cultures from vegetations and tissue retrieved at the operation was not detected.

Active IE remains a severe disease affecting the young population in our study and rheumatic heart disease continues to be the most underlying heart disease. Culture negativity was found to be very high and prior antibiotic therapy may be the prime reason.