Revascularization strategies in patients with infective endocarditis-related ST-elevation myocardial infarction: The STEMI-ENDO Registry

Infective endocarditis (IE)-related ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is extremely rare. A clear clinical consensus is lacking regarding the management of this emergency. In this study, we aimed to describe the clinical outcomes of treatment strategies in this patient population.

The study population comprised 19 retrospectively evaluated patients (nine women; mean age 52±11.8 years) with a diagnosis of IE-related STEMI. Transesophageal echocardiography detected vegetation in all the patients. The study population was divided into two groups on the basis of in-hospital mortality.

Major clinical manifestations included dyspnea (89.5%), fever (78.9%), and chest pain (63.2%). Catheter-based coronary angiography was performed in all the patients. The causative agent was isolated in all the cases, and Staphylococcus aureus was identified in seven (36.8%). The most common infarction was in the left anterior descending artery (n=12 [63.2%]). The treatment strategy consisted of mechanical thrombectomy (n=1), valve replacement following stent implantation (n=5), direct balloon angioplasty (n=4), valve replacement along with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG; n=6), and medical follow-up (n=3). Moreover, thrombolysis in myocardial infarction III flow was significantly higher in the survival group (100% vs. 0%, p<0.001). All these patients preferred CABG or stent implantation for revascularization.

The current data suggest that a revascularization strategy with stent implantation or revascularization with CABG has a lower mortality rate in patients with IE-related STEMI.