[Infectious endocarditis of gyneco-obstetric origin. Apropos of 15 cases]

With the object of analyzing current characteristics of post-partum and post-abortum infective endocarditis (IE), authors carried out a retrospective study of 15 cases between september 1985 and may 1992. Mean age was 22.2 +/- 4.0 years. Origin of sepsis was delivery (1 case), abortion (14 cases). There was no underlying cardiac lesion in 9 cases, rheumatic heart disease in 6 cases. Infecting organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (n = 6), streptococcus D (n = 3), Clostridium perfringens (n = 2). There were 10 acute and 5 subacute IE, 7 right-sided, 7 left-sided, and 1 right and left-sided IE. Vegetations were determined by transthoracic echocardiography in 12 cases (80%). The main complications were heart failure (15 cases), and pulmonary or arterial embolism (7 cases). Lethality was 53.3% and was not different in tricuspid acute IE and left-sided IE. Treatment was the more difficult as cardiac surgery is expensive or even inaccessible. Accordingly, prevention is primordial. It consist of antibiotic prophylaxis and fight against illicit abortion.