Despite more recent advances in both medical and surgical therapies, the syndrome of infective endocarditis (IE) continues to be characterized by serious complications, and remains a life-threatening infection. According to data from the World Health Organization, the Czech Republic has one of the highest mortality rates due to this disease worldwide. Despite the severity of illness in this country, very few data have been reported previously regarding investigations of IE in the Czech Republic. Consequently, a retrospective evaluation of local IE cases at one of the country's largest medical centers was conducted. Our aim was to analyze the characteristics of this disease in our country. The greatest interest was devoted to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), etiological agent that has been associated with the worst course of IE episodes. The hypothesis of our study was that infective endocarditis caused by S. aureus, in comparison with other etiological agents, is associated with worse course of the disease. We evaluated the structural (abscess formation, impaired integrity of heart valves, systemic embolism) and functional (incidence of heart failure and conduction disturbances, in-hospital mortality) manifestations of IE. Of all studied parameters, only embolism and S. aureus as the causative agent were...

Despite more recent advances in both medical and surgical therapies, the syndrome of infective endocarditis (IE) continues to be characterized by serious complications, and remains a life-threatening infection. According to data from the World Health Organization, the Czech Republic has one of the highest mortality rates due to this disease worldwide. Despite the severity of illness in this country, very few data have been reported previously regarding investigations of IE in the Czech Republic. Consequently, a retrospective evaluation of local IE cases at one of the country's largest medical centers was conducted. Our aim was to analyze the characteristics of this disease in our country. The greatest interest was devoted to Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), etiological agent that has been associated with the worst course of IE episodes. The hypothesis of our study was that infective endocarditis caused by S. aureus, in comparison with other etiological agents, is associated with worse course of the disease. We evaluated the structural (abscess formation, impaired integrity of heart valves, systemic embolism) and functional (incidence of heart failure and conduction disturbances, in-hospital mortality) manifestations of IE. Of all studied parameters, only embolism and S. aureus as the causative agent were...

Os objetivos do estudo foram avaliar as características clínicas das embolias arteriais sistêmicas no curso da endocardite infecciosa, a distribuição temporal, os fatores de risco de embolia e a influência prognóstica da embolia no curso da doença. Foram estudados 629 episódios de endocardite infecciosa. A idade dos pacientes variou de 2 meses a 83 anos (média 37,9 anos; desvio padrão 17,3). Ocorreram 396 (63%) episódios em homens e 233 (47%) em mulheres. Em 538 (85%) episódios, os pacientes eram portadores de doença cardíaca prévia, 272 (43%) com valvopatia, 224 (36%) portadores de prótese valvar cardíaca, 29 (5%) com doença cardíaca congênita, 13 (2%) com outras cardiopatias e 91 (14%) pacientes não apresentavam evidência de cardiopatia prévia. Os agentes etiológicos foram os estreptococos em 297 (47%) pacientes, os enterococos em 51 (8%), os Staphylococcus aureus em 77 (12,6%), os Staphylococcus epidermidis em 56 (9%), as bactérias gram-negativas em 33 (5%), os fungos em nove (1,4%), e outros microorganismos em 27 (4%). Em 79 (13%) pacientes as hemoculturas foram negativas. Os pacientes receberam tratamento clínico em 376 (60%) episódios e cirúrgico em 253 (40%). Para a análise estatística foram utilizados além da estatística descritiva, o método de Kaplan-Meier para avaliar a sobrevida livre de embolia e o prognóstico, comparadas com os testes de Log-rank e Breslow. Em seguida para a estimativa de riscos, foi ajustado o modelo de riscos proporcionais de Cox. As embolias arteriais ocorreram em 133 (21%) pacientes, cerebrais em 63 (47%), extracerebrais em 57 (43%) e cerebrais a extracerebrais em 13 (10%) pacientes. A distribuição temporal das embolias foi decrescente após o início dos sintomas. O risco de embolia não revelou diferença significativa quanto a idade, a sexo, o estado cardíaco, presença e número de vegetações identificadas no ecocardiograma e a modalidade de tratamento clínico ou cirúrgico. Os pacientes com endocardite causada por Staphylococcus aureus apresentaram risco de ocorrência de embolia 2,9 vezes maior do que os pacientes com endocardite causada por outros agentes etiológicos. Nos pacientes com endocardite infecciosa em prótese mitral e aórtica com vegetação identificada no ecocardiograma, o risco de embolia foi respectivamente 2,4 e 3,3 vezes maior relação aos pacientes com endocardite em valva natural ou em prótese sem vegetação. O risco de embolia foi menor a medida que o tempo decorrido entre o início dos sintomas e o tratamento aumentou. O risco de óbito nos pacientes que sofreram embolia duplicou em relação aos pacientes que não sofreram embolia. / The objectives of the study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of systemic arterial embolism at infective endocarditis courses, the time related distribution of emboli, risk predictors and prognostic influence of emboli during active disease. So far, we studied 629 episodes of left-sided endocarditis. The patients were aged 37.9 ± 17.3 years; 396 (63%) episodes occurred in men; 233 (47%) in women; 538 (85%) episodes occurred in patients with heart disease: 272 (43%) had valvular heart disease, 224 (36%) had prosthetic heart valves, 29 (5%) had congenital heart disease, 13 (2%) had others cardiac diseases and 91 (14%) had no known heart disease. The causative microorganisms were streptococci in 297 (47%) patients, enterococci in 51 (8%), Staphylococcus aureus in 77 (1 2.6%), Sfaphylococcus epidermidis in 56 (9%), gram-negative bacteria in 33 (5%), fungi in nine (1.4%), and other microorganisms in 27 (4%); 79 (13%) patients had negative blood cultures. The treatment was medical in 376 (60%) and surgical in 253 (40%) episodes. Statistical analysis was pet-formed with descriptive analysis, with Kaplan-Meier methods to evaluate survival free of emboli and prognosis, and Cox proportional hazards model for risk analysis; 133 (21%) patients had an embolic event; 63 (47%) were cerebral emboli and 57 (43%) were extracerebral emboli and 13 (10%) were cerebral and extracerebral. The time-related distribution showed decrease in the incidence after beginning of symptoms. The risk for emboli was not significantly different relative to age, sex, cardiac status, presence or number of vegetations at echocardiogram, and medical or surgical treatment. The risk of emboli was 2.97 times higher in patients with Staphylacoccus aureus endocarditis. The risk of embolism in patients with infective endocarditis in mitral and aortic prosthetic valve with vegetations were 2.4 and 3.3 times higher. The risk of embolism decrease as the time elapsed between beginning of symptoms and treatment increased, suggesting a lower risk in less acute disease. Risk of death was 2.01 times higher in patients with embolism.

Os objetivos do estudo foram avaliar as características clínicas das embolias arteriais sistêmicas no curso da endocardite infecciosa, a distribuição temporal, os fatores de risco de embolia e a influência prognóstica da embolia no curso da doença. Foram estudados 629 episódios de endocardite infecciosa. A idade dos pacientes variou de 2 meses a 83 anos (média 37,9 anos; desvio padrão 17,3). Ocorreram 396 (63%) episódios em homens e 233 (47%) em mulheres. Em 538 (85%) episódios, os pacientes eram portadores de doença cardíaca prévia, 272 (43%) com valvopatia, 224 (36%) portadores de prótese valvar cardíaca, 29 (5%) com doença cardíaca congênita, 13 (2%) com outras cardiopatias e 91 (14%) pacientes não apresentavam evidência de cardiopatia prévia. Os agentes etiológicos foram os estreptococos em 297 (47%) pacientes, os enterococos em 51 (8%), os Staphylococcus aureus em 77 (12,6%), os Staphylococcus epidermidis em 56 (9%), as bactérias gram-negativas em 33 (5%), os fungos em nove (1,4%), e outros microorganismos em 27 (4%). Em 79 (13%) pacientes as hemoculturas foram negativas. Os pacientes receberam tratamento clínico em 376 (60%) episódios e cirúrgico em 253 (40%). Para a análise estatística foram utilizados além da estatística descritiva, o método de Kaplan-Meier para avaliar a sobrevida livre de embolia e o prognóstico, comparadas com os testes de Log-rank e Breslow. Em seguida para a estimativa de riscos, foi ajustado o modelo de riscos proporcionais de Cox. As embolias arteriais ocorreram em 133 (21%) pacientes, cerebrais em 63 (47%), extracerebrais em 57 (43%) e cerebrais a extracerebrais em 13 (10%) pacientes. A distribuição temporal das embolias foi decrescente após o início dos sintomas. O risco de embolia não revelou diferença significativa quanto a idade, a sexo, o estado cardíaco, presença e número de vegetações identificadas no ecocardiograma e a modalidade de tratamento clínico ou cirúrgico. Os pacientes com endocardite causada por Staphylococcus aureus apresentaram risco de ocorrência de embolia 2,9 vezes maior do que os pacientes com endocardite causada por outros agentes etiológicos. Nos pacientes com endocardite infecciosa em prótese mitral e aórtica com vegetação identificada no ecocardiograma, o risco de embolia foi respectivamente 2,4 e 3,3 vezes maior relação aos pacientes com endocardite em valva natural ou em prótese sem vegetação. O risco de embolia foi menor a medida que o tempo decorrido entre o início dos sintomas e o tratamento aumentou. O risco de óbito nos pacientes que sofreram embolia duplicou em relação aos pacientes que não sofreram embolia. / The objectives of the study were to evaluate the clinical characteristics of systemic arterial embolism at infective endocarditis courses, the time related distribution of emboli, risk predictors and prognostic influence of emboli during active disease. So far, we studied 629 episodes of left-sided endocarditis. The patients were aged 37.9 ± 17.3 years; 396 (63%) episodes occurred in men; 233 (47%) in women; 538 (85%) episodes occurred in patients with heart disease: 272 (43%) had valvular heart disease, 224 (36%) had prosthetic heart valves, 29 (5%) had congenital heart disease, 13 (2%) had others cardiac diseases and 91 (14%) had no known heart disease. The causative microorganisms were streptococci in 297 (47%) patients, enterococci in 51 (8%), Staphylococcus aureus in 77 (1 2.6%), Sfaphylococcus epidermidis in 56 (9%), gram-negative bacteria in 33 (5%), fungi in nine (1.4%), and other microorganisms in 27 (4%); 79 (13%) patients had negative blood cultures. The treatment was medical in 376 (60%) and surgical in 253 (40%) episodes. Statistical analysis was pet-formed with descriptive analysis, with Kaplan-Meier methods to evaluate survival free of emboli and prognosis, and Cox proportional hazards model for risk analysis; 133 (21%) patients had an embolic event; 63 (47%) were cerebral emboli and 57 (43%) were extracerebral emboli and 13 (10%) were cerebral and extracerebral. The time-related distribution showed decrease in the incidence after beginning of symptoms. The risk for emboli was not significantly different relative to age, sex, cardiac status, presence or number of vegetations at echocardiogram, and medical or surgical treatment. The risk of emboli was 2.97 times higher in patients with Staphylacoccus aureus endocarditis. The risk of embolism in patients with infective endocarditis in mitral and aortic prosthetic valve with vegetations were 2.4 and 3.3 times higher. The risk of embolism decrease as the time elapsed between beginning of symptoms and treatment increased, suggesting a lower risk in less acute disease. Risk of death was 2.01 times higher in patients with embolism.