Bacterial endocarditis in patients with native or prosthetic heart valves: bacteriological and clinical findings

The clinical course of 12 episodes of native valve endocarditis (NVE) and 15 episodes of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) was studied. The mortality in NVE was 3/12 episodes and in PVE 5/15. No significant differences in prognosis were observed in relation to the bacterial taxonomy, which was stated in all cases. Though surgical valve replacement was performed on the relative indications heart failure, resistance to treatment, or major embolism, the regimen was primarily conservative, and the results comparable to the reports in the literature of a more surgically active attitude.