[Changes in infectious endocarditis in 3 decades]

The course, clinical picture and outcome were compared in 101 patients with infective endocarditis (1975-79, phase III) with our earlier investigations 1947-57 (phase I) and 1961-74 (phase II). An impressive change in this disease was found: - The average age of the patients is higher. - Acute cases and postoperative courses (after valve replacement) are more common and the outcome in these cases is better. Subacute courses are on the decrease. The clinical picture often is oligosymptomatic: - Fever is absent in a quarter, cardiac murmur in nearly a fifth and splenomegaly in four fifths of the patients. - For the first time 5 patients with right-heart endocarditis were observed in phase III. Three of these patients were intravenous drug abusers. The initial clinical picture was misinterpreted as pneumonia or pulmonary embolism. - The most common infective agents were streptococci, followed by staphylococci. The portion of negative blood cultures was strikingly high (35%). - Despite the higher frequency of acute courses, mortality has decreased. Urgent cardiac valve replacement, which has been performed in a fifth of our patients, can prevent irreversible congestive heart failure.