Predicting in-hospital mortality in infective endocarditis: insights from the Naples prognostic score

Infective Endocarditis (IE) is a severe and potentially life-threatening infection of the heart valves, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing patient outcomes.

The study aims to investigate the relationship between NPS and in-hospital mortality in patients diagnosed with Infective Endocarditis (IE).

A total of 153 IE patients were included in the study, with 32 (20,9%) experiencing in-hospital mortality. Patients were categorised into survivors and non-survivors, and detailed clinical and demographic characteristics were recorded. The final endpoint of the study was determined as in-hospital mortality. Regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent variables, and Kaplan-Meier estimates were created to determine survival outcomes, using a significance level of p < 0.05 for all statistical analyses.

The non-survivor group exhibited a significantly higher NPS compared to the survivor group (28 (87.5) vs. 56 (46.3); p < 0.001). ROC curve analysis, utilising NPS, the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), albumin, and total cholesterol values, identified NPS as the most robust parameter, with an area under the curve of 0.704 (95% CI: 0.612-0.797; p < 0.001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed Septic shock (p = 0.001), NPS (p = 0.004), and Age (p = 0.012) as independent determinants of in-hospital mortality in IE patients.

This study demonstrated a strong correlation between NPS and mortality in IE. This novel score, as it reflects both the level of inflammation and nutrition, can be used to predict the prognosis in IE.