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Published on: April 7, 2015
Anaerobes in cardiac infections: A decade experience from the tertiary care center
K V P SaiKiran1, Debasish Biswal1, Sonu Kumari Agrawal1
1Department of Microbiology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India.
Insights
Anaerobic bacteria are rarely found in cardiovascular samples but can cause serious infections. This study analyzed a decade of cardiovascular samples, finding Clostridium species as the main anaerobic cause.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular microbiology
- Infectious diseases
- Surgical infections
Background:
- Anaerobic infections are serious and can affect any body part, including the cardiovascular system.
- Identifying anaerobic causes of cardiovascular infections is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a retrospective analysis of anaerobic bacteria isolated from cardiovascular samples over a 10-year period.
- To determine the frequency of anaerobic cardiovascular infections.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cardiovascular samples received between January 2010 and December 2020.
- Samples included vegetations, valvular tissues, pericardial tissues, emboli, blood, post-operative collections, aneurysms, and vascular grafts.
Main Results:
- Out of 601 samples, 15 yielded anaerobic bacteria.
- Clostridium species were the most common anaerobic isolates.
- Clostridioides difficile was identified in 2 samples.
Conclusions:
- Anaerobic cardiovascular infections are infrequent but significant causes of illness and death.
- Prompt diagnosis of anaerobic infections is vital for improving patient prognosis in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.
Purpose:
Anaerobic infections are common yet life-threatening. They are being recovered from all sites of the body, including the cardiovascular system. This study was aimed to determine the retrospective analysis on the isolation of anaerobes in cardiovascular samples received for a decade-long duration. It helps in knowing the frequency of isolation of anaerobic causes of cardiovascular infection.
Methods:
All cardiovascular samples from the department of Cardio-thoracic vascular surgery from January 2010 to December 2020 were studied.
Results:
Of 601 samples received, predominant samples were vegetations and valvular tissues of 258, followed by 98 samples of pericardial tissues, 92 samples of embolus, 90 samples of blood and post-operative collections, and 63 excised aneurysms and vascular grafts. Of the total, 15 samples grew anaerobes where Clostridium species were the predominant isolates. Clostridioides difficile was isolated in 2 samples.
Conclusions:
Anaerobes in cardiovascular samples are uncommon yet form a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Most infections are from the contiguous spread, penetrating trauma, and hematogenous causing endocarditis or valvular infections. These conditions and samples form the seat of infectious focus and clinical suspicion towards the anaerobic cause of these conditions, especially in conventional routine culture-negative samples. Timely diagnosis of anaerobic infections plays a vital role in the good prognostic outcome of patients undergoing cardiothoracic and vascular surgery.
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