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Evaluation of microvascular endothelial function and capillary density in patients with infective endocarditis using

Amanda Barcelos1, Eduardo Tibirica2, Cristiane Lamas3

  • 1National Institute of Cardiology, Ministry of Health, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Microvascular Research
|March 5, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Infective endocarditis (IE) patients show increased basal vasodilation and capillary density. However, their microvascular reactivity is reduced compared to healthy individuals.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Microcirculation Research
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious infection affecting heart valves.
  • Systemic microcirculation plays a crucial role in overall patient health.
  • Understanding microcirculatory changes in IE is vital for patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the systemic microcirculation in patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis.
  • To compare microvascular function and density between IE patients and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative study involving 22 IE patients and age/sex-matched healthy volunteers.
  • Laser speckle contrast imaging assessed cutaneous microvascular perfusion.
  • Iontophoresis with acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) tested microvascular reactivity.
  • Skin video-capillaroscopy evaluated microvascular density.

Main Results:

  • IE patients exhibited significantly higher basal skin microvascular conductance compared to controls.
  • A reduced increase in microvascular conductance was observed in IE patients following ACh and SNP administration.
  • Basal skin capillary density was significantly greater in IE patients than in healthy individuals.

Conclusions:

  • Patients with infective endocarditis display enhanced basal vasodilation and increased functional skin capillary density.
  • A significant impairment in both endothelium-dependent and -independent microvascular reactivity was noted in IE patients.
  • These microcirculatory alterations in IE warrant further investigation for clinical implications.
Abstract

Keywords:
Capillary densityInfective endocarditisMicrocirculationMicrovascular dysfunctionSkin video-capillaroscopySpeckle contrast imaging

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