[Surgical management of infective endocarditis]

We reviewed fourty-six patients who had undergone surgery for infective endocarditis in the past fifteen years and identified risk factors affecting the outcome. Twenty-nine patients had infection of the native valve only, 11 had infective endocarditis associated with congenital heart disease, and 6 had prosthetic valve endocarditis. Overall hospital mortality was 6.5%. Prosthetic valve endocarditis carried a higher mortality (33%) than native valve endocarditis (3.4% or congenital heart disease with infective endocarditis (0%). For the patients with active endocarditis, the early mortality rate was higher (13%) than with inactive endocarditis (3.2%). Staphylococcal infections were more likely to cause severe valve destruction and residual infection than streptococcal infection. Our results indicated that surgical management of infective endocarditis should be done after the completion of adequate antibiotic therapy. Early diagnosis should reduce the mortality, prevent fatal complications, and lead to qualitative improvement of infective endocarditis.