Carlos Ferrera

Contemporary epidemiology and prognosis of septic shock in infective endocarditis

AIMS The prognosis of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) remains poor despite the great advances in the last decades. One of the factors closely related to mortality is the development of septic shock (SS). The aim of our study was to describe the profile of patients with IE complicated with SS, and to identify prognostic factors of new-onset SS during hospitalization. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a prospective study including 894 episodes of IE diagnosed at three tertiary centres. A backward logistic regression analysis was undertaken to determine prognostic factors associated with SS development. Multivariable analysis identified the following as predictive of SS development: diabetes mellitus [odds ratio (OR) 2.06; confidence interval (CI) 1.16-3.68], Staphylococcus aureus infection (OR: 2.97; CI: 1.72-5.15), acute renal insufficiency (OR: 3.22; CI: 1.28-8.07), supraventricular tachycardia (OR: 3.29; CI: 1.14-9.44), vegetation size ≥15 mm (OR: 1.21; CI: 0.65-2.25), and signs of persistent infection (OR: 9.8; CI: 5.48-17.52). Risk of SS development could be stratified when combining the first five variables: one variable present: 3.8% (CI: 2-7%); two variables present: 6.3% (CI: 3.2-12.1%); three variables present: 14.6% (CI: 6.8-27.6%); four variables present: 29.1% (CI: 11.7-56.1%); and five variables present: 45.4% (95% CI: 17.5-76.6%). When adding signs of persistent infection, the risk dramatically increased, reaching 85.7% (95% CI: 61.2-95.9%) of risk. CONCLUSIONS In patients with IE, the presence of diabetes, acute renal insufficiency, Staphylococcus aureus infection, supraventricular tachycardia, vegetation size ≥15 mm, and signs of persistent infection are associated with the development of SS.

Prognostic role of persistent positive blood cultures after initiation of antibiotic therapy in left-sided infective endocarditis.

AIM Persistent infection is not a scientific evidence-based definition. The guidelines of infective endocarditis (IE) establish a cut-off point of 7-10 days, which is arbitrary and probably too long. Our hypothesis is that persistent positive blood cultures after 48-72 h from the initiation of antibiotic therapy are associated with a worse prognosis in patients with left-sided IE. METHODS AND RESULTS We repeated blood cultures after 48-72 h of the initiation of the antibiotic treatment in 407 patients with left-sided IE of a total of 692 episodes consecutively diagnosed from 1996 to 2011. We have compared the profile of patients whose blood cultures became negative and those with persistent positive blood cultures. We performed a multivariate logistic regression model to determine the prognostic implication of persistent positive blood cultures. Of 256 patients with positive blood cultures at admission, 89 (35%) had persistent positive cultures after 48-72 h from the initiation of the antibiotic treatment. Persistent positive blood cultures (OR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2-3.6), age (OR: 1.026; 95% CI: 1.007-1.046), Staphylococcus aureus infection (OR: 3.3; 95% CI: 1.6-6.6), heart failure (OR: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.6-4.7), and renal failure (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.8-4.9) were found to be independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS The presence of persistent positive blood cultures is an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality which doubles the risk of death of patients with left-sided IE. It should be taken into account in the risk stratification of these patients.

Clinical classification and prognosis of isolated right-sided infective endocarditis.

AbstractFrom an epidemiologic point of view, right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) affects different types of patients: intravenous drug users (IDUs), cardiac device carriers (pacemakers and implantable automatic defibrillators), and the “3 noes” endocarditis group: no left-sided, no IDUs, no cardiac devices. Our objective is to describe and compare the clinical profile and outcome of these groups of patients.Every episode of infective endocarditis (IE) consecutively diagnosed in 3 tertiary centers from 1996 to 2012 was included in an ongoing multipurpose database. We assessed 85 epidemiologic, clinical, echocardiographic, and outcome variables in patients with isolated RSIE. A bivariated comparative analysis between the 3 groups was conducted.Among 866 IE episodes, 121 were classified as isolated RSIE (14%): 36 IDUs (30%), 65 cardiac device carriers (54%), and 20 “3 noes” group (16%). IDUs were mainly young men (36 ± 7 years) without previous heart disease, few comorbidities, and frequent previous endocarditis episodes (28%). Human immunodeficiency virus infection was frequent (69%). Cardiac device carriers were older (66 ± 15 years) and had less comorbidities (34%). Removal of the infected device was performed in 91% of the patients without any death. The “3 noes” endocarditis group was composed mainly by middle-age men (56 ± 18 years), health care related infections (50%), and had many comorbidities (75%). Whereas Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequent cause in IDUs (72% vs 34% in device carriers and 34% in the “3 noes” group, P = 0.001), coagulase negative Staphylococci predominated in the device carriers (58% vs 11% in drug users and 35% in the “3 noes”, P < 0.001). Significant differences in mortality were found (17% in drug users, 3% in device carriers, and 30% in the “3 noes” group; P < 0.001).These results suggest that RSIE should be separated into 3 groups (IDUs, cardiac device carriers, and the “3 noes”) and considered as independent entities as there are relevant epidemiologic, clinical, microbiological, echocardiographic, and prognostic differences among them.

Revaluación de la endocarditis con hemocultivos negativos: su perfil es similar al de la endocarditis con hemocultivos positivos

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Left-sided infective endocarditis with blood culture-negative has been associated with delayed diagnosis, a greater number of in-hospital complications and need for surgery, and consequently worse prognosis. The aim of our study was to review the current situation of culture-negative infective endocarditis. METHODS We analyzed 749 consecutive cases of left-sided infective endocarditis, in 3 tertiary hospitals from June 1996 to 2011 and divided them into 2 groups: group I (n=106), blood culture-negative episodes, and group II (n=643) blood culture-positive episodes. We used Duke criteria for diagnosis until 2002, and its modified version by Li et al. thereafter. RESULTS Age, sex, and comorbidity were similar in both groups. No differences were found in the proportion of patients who received antibiotic treatment before blood culture extraction between the 2 groups. The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was similar in the 2 groups. The clinical course of both groups during hospitalization was similar. There were no differences in the development of heart failure, renal failure, or septic shock. The need for surgery (57.5% vs 55.5%; P=.697) and mortality (25.5% vs 30.6%; P=.282) were similar in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS Currently, previous antibiotic therapy is no longer more prevalent in patients with blood culture-negative endocarditis. This entity does not imply a delayed diagnosis and worse prognosis compared with blood culture-positive endocarditis. In-hospital clinical course, the need for surgery and mortality are similar to those in patients with blood culture-positive endocarditis. Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org.

Risk score for cardiac surgery in active left-sided infective endocarditis

Objective To develop and validate a calculator to predict the risk of in-hospital mortality in patients with active infective endocarditis (IE) undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods Thousand two hundred and ninety-nine consecutive patients with IE were prospectively recruited (1996–2014) and retrospectively analysed. Left-sided patients who underwent cardiac surgery (n=671) form our study population and were randomised into development (n=424) and validation (n=247) samples. Variables statistically significant to predict in-mortality were integrated in a multivariable prediction model, the Risk-Endocarditis Score (RISK-E). The predictive performance of the score and four existing surgical scores (European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) I and II), Prosthesis, Age ≥70, Large Intracardiac Destruction, Staphylococcus, Urgent Surgery, Sex (Female) (PALSUSE), EuroSCORE ≥10) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons’s Infective endocarditis score (STS-IE)) were assessed and compared in our cohort. Finally, an external validation of the RISK-E in a separate population was done. Results Variables included in the final model were age, prosthetic infection, periannular complications, Staphylococcus aureus or fungi infection, acute renal failure, septic shock, cardiogenic shock and thrombocytopaenia. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve in the validation sample was 0.82 (95% CI 0.75 to 0.88). The accuracy of the other surgical scores when compared with the RISK-E was inferior (p=0.010). Our score also obtained a good predictive performance, area under the curve 0.76 (95% CI 0.64 to 0.88), in the external validation. Conclusions IE-specific factors (microorganisms, periannular complications and sepsis) beside classical variables in heart surgery (age, haemodynamic condition and renal failure) independently predicted perioperative mortality in IE. The RISK-E had better ability to predict surgical mortality in patients with IE when compared with other surgical scores.

Polymicrobial Infective Endocarditis: Clinical Features and Prognosis

AbstractTo describe the profile of left-sided polymicrobial endocarditis (PE) and to compare it with monomicrobial endocarditis (ME).Among 1011 episodes of left-sided endocarditis consecutively diagnosed in 3 tertiary centers, between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2014, 60 were polymicrobial (5.9%), 821 monomicrobial (81.7%), and in 123 no microorganism was detected (12.2%). Seven patients (0.7%) were excluded from the analysis because contamination of biologic tissue could not be discarded. The authors described the clinical, microbiologic, echocardiographic, and outcome of patients with PE and compared it with ME.Mean age was 64 years SD 16 years, 67% were men and 30% nosocomial. Diabetes mellitus (35%) were the most frequent comorbidities, fever (67%) and heart failure (43%) the most common symptoms at admission. Prosthetic valves (50%) were the most frequent infection location and coagulase-negative Staphylococci (48%) and enterococci (37%) the leading etiologies. The most repeated combination was coagulase-negative Staphylococci with enterococci (n = 9). Polymicrobial endocarditis appeared more frequently in patients with underlying disease (70% versus 56%, P = 0.036), mostly diabetics (35% versus 24%, P = 0.044) with previous cardiac surgery (15% versus 8% P = 0.049) and prosthetic valves (50% versus 37%, P = 0.038). Coagulase-negative Staphylococci, enterococci, Gram-negative bacilli, anaerobes, and fungi were more frequent in PE. No differences on age, sex, symptoms, need of surgery, and in-hospital mortality were detected.Polymicrobial endocarditis represents 5.9% of episodes of left-sided endocarditis in our series. Despite relevant demographic and microbiologic differences between PE and ME, short-term outcome is similar.

Prognostic implications of diabetes in patients with left-sided endocarditis: findings from a large cohort study.

AbstractPatients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a higher incidence of infections, and those with bacteremia are more prone to develop sepsis and infective endocarditis (IE). Nevertheless, data concerning the impact of DM on the prognosis of patients with IE are limited and sometimes contradictory. We examined the impact of DM on the inhospital outcome of left-sided IE in a large cohort of patients. We studied 594 consecutive episodes of left-sided IE diagnosed at 3 tertiary care centers. They were divided into 2 groups: episodes in patients with DM (n = 114) and episodes in patients without DM (n = 480). We retrospectively analyzed the influence of DM therapy on patient outcome. Compared to patients without DM, patients with DM were older (67 ± 10 vs. 60 ± 15 yr; p < 0.001), less frequently male (53.5% vs. 67.9%; p = 0.004), and more commonly had chronic renal failure (23.9% vs. 6.9%; p < 0.001) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (14.6% vs. 7.8%; p = 0.019). Enterococcus (14.9% vs. 7.4%; p = 0.011) and Streptococcus bovis (8.8% vs. 3.8%; p = 0.024) were isolated more frequently. In the univariable analysis, septic shock (29.2% vs. 16.4%; p = 0.005) and mortality (43.5% vs. 30.0%; p = 0.008) were more common among patients with DM than in those without. Considering the different treatments for DM, septic shock (33.3%; p = 0.011) and death (50.8%; p = 0.012) were more frequent in patients receiving oral medication to treat diabetes than in patients with the other treatment modalities. However, multivariable analysis showed that DM had an independent association with development of septic shock (OR 2.282; 95% CI 1.186–4.393), but it was not a predictor of inhospital mortality.Staphylococci were the most frequently involved microorganisms in all patients; however, Enterococcus and Streptococcus bovis were more frequently isolated from individuals with DM and left-sided IE, whereas viridans group streptococci were more commonly isolated from those with left-sided IE who did not have DM. DM was independently associated with the development of septic shock, but it was not an independent predictor of inhospital mortality in patients with left-sided IE.

Clinical and hemodynamic results after direct transcatheter aortic valve replacement versus pre-implantation balloon aortic valvuloplasty: A case-matched analysis.

To evaluate the safety and midterm hemodynamic results of direct transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) without pre‐implantation balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV).

Usefulness of Thrombocytopenia at Admission as a Prognostic Marker in Native Valve Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis

In-hospital mortality of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) remains exceedingly high. Quick recognition of parameters accurately identifying high-risk patients is of paramount importance. The objective of this study was to analyze the incidence and severity of thrombocytopenia at presentation and its prognostic impact in patients with native valve left-sided IE. We studied a cohort of 533 consecutive episodes of native valve left-sided IE prospectively recruited. We distinguished 2 groups: group I (n = 175), episodes who had thrombocytopenia at admission, and group II (n = 358) gathered all the episodes who did not. Thrombocytopenia at admission was defined as a platelet count of <150,000/μl. No differences were found in the need for surgery, but in-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with thrombocytopenia (p <0.001). Mortality rate was associated with the degree of thrombocytopenia (p <0.001). In the multivariable analysis, thrombocytopenia at admission was an independent predictor of higher mortality (p = 0.002). A synergistic interaction between thrombocytopenia and Staphylococcus aureus on mortality risk was also observed (p = 0.04). In conclusion, thrombocytopenia at admission is an early risk marker of increased mortality in patients with native valve left-sided IE. Mortality rates increased with increasing severity of thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia at admission should be used as an early marker for risk stratification in patients with native valve IE to identify those at risk of complicated in-hospital evolution and increased mortality.

Mitral valve in valve: A new choice to be still cautious

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