[Infective endocarditis with particular references to incorrect diagnosis in elderly subjects: a study of autopsied...

20091 autopsies performed in the period 1946-77 yielded 110 cases of infective endocarditis. The anatomical findings were compared with those of published studies on groups of patients of similar age groups. The diagnosis of infective endocarditis was suspected during the life in 40.6% of patients below 50 years of age, in 10.8% over 50 and in none of the patients over 70. Moreover the diagnostic accuracy was down from 36.8% in the 1946-61 period to 23.3% in the 1962-77 period. These negative data are discussed, emphasizing usefulness of autopsy as a systematic check on clinical diagnosis in practical medicine, and especially in geriatric medicine.