[Surgical Treatment of Active Infected Endocarditis Associated with Cerebrovascular Complications;Heart Team Approach...

Surgery for active infective endocarditis( IE) carries the greatest risk of any valve surgery, especially when complicated by cerebral infarction or bleeding. Surgical candidates with IE associated with neurologic symptoms should have a neurologic evaluation and brain imaging either by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Even among patients without neurologic symptoms, routine preoperative screening can be justified, especially those with high-risk vegetation. Current recommendations indicate that surgery should be delayed for 1 to 2 weeks in patients with non-hemorrhagic strokes and 3 to 4 weeks in patients with hemorrhagic strokes. If patients have suffered from stroke, any anticoagulation increases the risk of hemorrhagic conversion, and if bleeding has already occurred, this risk further increases. Accordingly, the treatment team has to make a difficult decision whether anticoagulation should be withheld or decreased. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and/or transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) play a major role in determining the size of vegetation, abscess and fistula formation, and severity of regurgitation during the pre- and intra-operative periods. Cerebral MRI/CT are also important to diagnose the severity of cerebral infarction or bleeding before and after surgery. The risk of IE patients with cerebral complication may change by the hour, so a solid heart team approach is mandatory to make a prompt diagnosis and determine the optimal timing for surgery.