Infective endocarditis by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria - a systematic review

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease that may frequently lead to significant morbidity and is associated with high mortality rates. Even though IE is classically caused by Gram-positive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria may seldom cause IE. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) may pose significant problems in treating IE, especially for carbapenem-resistant pathogens. This study aimed to review all cases of IE by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in a systematic way and present information on epidemiology, clinical findings, treatment, and outcomes.

A systematic review of PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus (all published studies up to 6 August 2023) for published studies providing information on epidemiology, clinical findings, treatment, and outcomes of IE by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria was performed.

A total of 24 studies containing data from 26 patients were included. Among all patients, 53.9% were male, and the median age was 66 years. Among all patients, 38.5% had a history of a prosthetic valve. The most commonly affected valve was the aortic, followed by the mitral valve. Fever, sepsis, emboli, and shock were the most frequent clinical findings. The most commonly isolated pathogens were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii. Aminoglycosides, colistin, cephalosporins, and carbapenems were the most commonly used antimicrobials. Surgery was performed in 53.8% of patients. Mortality was 38.5%.

The development of infection control measures and antimicrobial stewardship interventions is needed to reduce the spread of AMR and the likelihood of this fatal infection.