[Infectious endocarditis: clinical and echocardiographic initial follow-up]

We analyzed the clinical and echocardiographic features of 24 patients with infective endocarditis followed for a mean of 20.2 month (range 3-84) after discharge. Mean age was 38 years, male to female ratio was 2:1 and 87% of cases had a subacute clinical course; 17% of patients had late prosthetic endocarditis. Positive blood cultures were obtained in only 50% of patients. Vegetations were detected by echocardiography in 88%, 66% of them located at the aortic valve. Heart failure (62%) was the main complication, leading to valve replacement in 4 patients. Four patients died during follow up, 3 males due to heart failure and a female from systemic emboli. Twenty patients survive at the end of follow up (84%), 50% of them in FC I or II, 40% in FC III or IV (2 lost to follow up). Eleven patients had a late echocardiogram at a mean of 12 months after discharge: 6 of them showed persistence of vegetations (55%).