[Cardiac complications of infectious endocarditis]

Factors predisposing to cardiac complications and influencing hospital survival, were analysed in a retrospective study of 101 cases of infective endocarditis. Heart failure occurred in 52 p. 100 of our patients. A significantly greater incidence of heart failure was observed in endocarditis with no preexisting heart disease (p less than 0.01), aortic and mitral valve involvement (p less than 0.01), staphylococcus aureus infections (p less than 0.05), arrhythmias (p less than 0.001), and conduction disturbances (p less than 0.01). Significantly more patients with congestive cardiac failure died in hospital (51 p. 100) than those without congestive cardiac failure (17 p. 100) (p less than 0.001). Severe heart failure before treatment (p less than 0.05), streptococcus D endocarditis (p = 0.05), supraventricular arrhythmias (p less than 0.05), and intracardiac conduction disturbances (p less than 0.05), significantly increased the hospital mortality in patients with congestive heart failure. Electrocardiographic findings revealed arrhythmias in 34 p. 100 of cases, more commonly with mitral valve involvement (71 p. 100) and 52 p. 100 died in hospital. The development of intracardiac conduction disturbance during the course of 18 cases of endocarditis (aortic valve in 11 cases) was associated with a hospital mortality rate of 60 p. 100. The incidence of pericarditis and pulmonary embolism was 4 and 7 p. 100 respectively, and all patients died in hospital. Acute inferior myocardial infarction compatible with coronary embolism was suspected in one patient. Early cardiac valve replacement improved the hospital survival in patients with cardiac complications of infective endocarditis.