Impact of Neurological Complications on Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Infective Endocarditis.

Neurological complications are frequent during the active course of infective endocarditis (IE), and they are associated with high in-hospital mortality rates. However, limited data exist on the prognostic value of these complications for late outcomes. This study aimed to assess the long-term impact of neurological complications in patients surviving an IE episode. A total of 263 consecutive IE patients admitted to a tertiary care center between 2007 and 2022 were prospectively included. Neurological complications at admission included transient ischemic attack (TIA), ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, intracerebral abscess, and meningitis. The primary outcome was a composite of overall mortality or heart valve surgery. Of the patients, 34.2% died in the hospital, leaving 173 survivors for long-term follow-up. Over a median of 3.5 years, 29 patients died, and 13 (9%) underwent cardiac surgery, resulting in an overall adverse event rate of 30%. Neurological complications independently predicted long-term adverse outcomes (hazard ratio (HR) 2.237; 95% CI 1.006-4.976), after adjusting for age, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and heart failure (HF) development. In an IE patient cohort, neurological complications at admission, which is a complication directly related to the IE process, were independent predictors of long-term outcomes.

Valor do ecocardiograma na Endocardite Infecciosa associada aos dispositivos cardíacos implantáveis / Use of echocardiography in Infectious Endocarditis associated with implantable cardiac devices

Nas últimas décadas, o aumento das indicações para dispositivos cardíacos eletrônicos implantáveis tem sido acompanhado pela elevação dos casos de complicações relacionadas ao seu uso, dentre elas a endocardite infecciosa. Apesar dos avanços diagnósticos e terapêuticos da doença, esta mantém elevada morbimortalidade. Os casos relacionados aos dispositivos apresentam importantes limitações referentes aos critérios e aos métodos diagnósticos que implicam na tomada de decisão terapêutica sobre retirada do dispositivo, com risco de morte e outras complicações. Ainda assim, o ecocardiograma mantém um grande valor no diagnóstico da endocardite infecciosa relacionada a dispositivos cardíacos e de suas complicações. O entendimento das limitações e dos desafios acerca do diagnóstico reforça a necessidade de mais estudos sobre do tema. O presente artigo visa descrever a epidemiologia, a microbiologia, os fatores de risco, a patogenia, o diagnóstico e o tratamento da endocardite infecciosa associada aos dispositivos cardíacos eletrônicos implantáveis, visando demonstrar, principalmente, o valor dos exames de imagem na abordagem dessa condição clínica, com ênfase nos achados ao ecocardiograma.

In recent decades, the increase in indications for implantable electronic cardiac devices has been accompanied by an increase in cases of complications related to their use, including infectious endocarditis. Despite the diagnostic and therapeutic advances of the disease, it maintains high morbidity and mortality. The cases related to the devices have important limitations regarding the criteria and diagnostic methods that imply in making a therapeutic decision about removing the device, with risk of death and other complications. Still, echocardiography remains of great value in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis related to cardiac devices and their complications. Understanding the limitations and challenges regarding diagnosis reinforces the need for further studies on the topic. This article aims to describe the epidemiology, microbiology, risk factors, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of infective endocarditis associated with implantable electronic cardiac devices, aiming to demonstrate, mainly, the value of imaging tests in addressing this clinical condition , with emphasis on echocardiogram findings.

Cell-derived microvesicles in infective endocarditis: Role in diagnosis and potential for risk stratification at hospital admission.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the plasmatic profile of cell-derived microvesicles (MVs) at diagnosis and during the treatment of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). METHODS: Blood samples from 57 patients with IE were obtained on 3 consecutive moments: upon admission (T0), at 2 weeks (T1), and at the end of treatment (T2), and were compared with 22 patients with other bacterial infections. MPs were measured by flow cytometry and labeled for specific cell markers of CD45 (leukocytes), CD66b (neutrophils), CD14 (monocytes), CD41a (platelets), CD51 (endothelial cells), CD3 (T lymphocyte) and CD235a (erythrocytes). RESULTS: MVs from platelets (pltMVs), leukocytes (leukMVs), neutrophils (neutMVs), monocytes (monoMVs) and lymphocytes (lymphMVs) were significantly more elevated in the patients with IE, compared to the patients with other bacterial infections, despite comparable age, sex, blood counts and C-reactive protein levels. MVs values revealed a relatively stable pattern over time in IE, except for a significant increase in leukMVs and neutMVs in T1. LeukMVs (p = 0.011), neutMVs (p = 0.010), monoMVs (p = 0.016) and lymphMVs (p = 0.020), measured at admission, were significantly higher in IE patients that died during hospitalization in comparison with those that survived. In a multivariable analyses, the levels of neutMVs remained as an independent factor associated with mortality (odds ratio 2.203; 95% confidence interval 1.217 - 3.988; p = 0.009), adjustment for heart failure during the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Plasma levels of pltMVs, leukMVs, neutMVs, monoMVs and lymphMVs were significantly more elevated in patients with IE than in patients with other bacterial infections at hospital admission. Furthermore, neutMVs at admission have been identified as an independent predictor of mortality in patients with IE. Thus, cell derived MPs may become an important tool in the differential diagnosis and mortality risk assessment early in the course of IE suspected cases.