CLINICAL ANALYSIS AND SURGERY MANAGEMENT OF 65 CASE OF INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS / 解放军医学杂志

ABSTRACT

This paper is to analyze the clinical features of infective endocarditis (IE) and summarize the experience of surgical treatment. The retrospective review was based on 65 consecutive patients, who fulfilled the Duck criteria of the diagnosis of endocarditis, admitted from Jan 1997 to Jun 2002. There were 44 males and 21 females, with age ranged from 9 to 68 years. Pre operative blood cultures were positive in 20 out of 55 patients(45%), with Streptococcus in 8 (45%). Staphylococcus in 9 (40%), and other bacteria in 3 (15%). Echo cardiography revealed vegetations in 62 cases, involving the mitral valve in 19 cases, aortic valve in 31 case, pulmonary valve in 5 cases, tricuspid valve in 5 cases, and valsalva sinus in 2 cases. Among 65 patients, aortic valve replacement was performed in 22, mitral valve replacement in 13, combined aortic and mitral valve replacements in 5, mitral valve plasty in 3, repair of atrial septal defect in 2, ventricular septal defects in 14, rupture of Valsalva sinus in 3, correction of tetralogy of Fallot in 1, patent ductus arteriosus in 2. Four patients died in hospital. 56 patients (91%) were followed up for 6 months to 69 months. Two patients with replacement of aortic valve died 1 and 3 years later due to congestive heart failure and sepsis. In the other 54 patient, no recurrent infection was found. One year, 3 year, and 5 year survival rates were 96 6%, 90 1%,90 1%, respectively. The results suggest that urgent early diagnosis and optimal surgical intervention play key role in successful treatment of infective endocarditis.