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PubMed1975

Diffuse glomerulonephritis in rabbits with Streptococcus viridans endocarditis.

Intravenous administration of live microorganisms to rabitts with cardiac catheters produces an experimental model of infective endocarditis. Despite the development of infected valvular vegetations, positive blood cultures, splenomegaly, and focal embolic renallesions, glomerulonephritis has not been found in these animals. In the present study, acute diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis, featuring endothelial and mesangial proliferation, capillary occlusion, and leukocytic infiltration was produced in rabbits immunized withthe infecting agent prior to the establishment of left sided alpha-streptococcal endocarditis. Controls receiving immunization alone, immunization and sterileendocarditis, or infective endocarditis alone did not develop diffuse glomerulonephritis. Electron microscopic findings of occasional subendothelial electron-dense deposits and immunofluorescence deposition of IgG and C3 in a peripheral granular capillary pattern were consistent with an immune complex type nephritis. Decreased serum complement levels were demonstrated in those animals developing diffuse glomerulonephritis, and some animals developed circulating rheumatoid factor. In view of the morphologic findings and the necessity of preimmunization for development of glomerular changes, it is concluded that immune mechanisms play a role in the diffuse glomerulonephritis associated with this model of infective endocarditis.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Persisting fever in a patient with brucella endocarditis: occult splenic abscess.

Brucella endocarditis, despite its high mortality rate with combined medical and surgical treatment, has a low occurrence rate in cases of brucellosis and has been endemic in regions surrounding Turkey. Rarely, patients with infective endocarditis with common microorganisms develop a splenic abscess. A patient is reported on with brucella endocarditis and persistent fever. An occult splenic abscess was found. This is the second reported case in the literature of brucella endocarditis with splenic abscess.

Abscess↗
PubMed1992

[Problems posed by the association of streptococcus D infectious endocarditis and colorectal tumor].

The problems arising from the discovery of a colorectal tumor during an infectious endocarditis caused by Streptococci D have rarely been mentioned in the surgical literature. The frequency of association of an asymptomatic colorectal tumor and of a Streptococcus bovi endocarditis is now undisputed. This notion implies the systematic search for an intestinal lesion (adenoma or carcinoma) in case of endocarditis or septicemia without involvement of the valves, caused by a streptococcus of group D. The authors report about 3 cases of enterococcal (1 case) and S. bovis (2 cases) infectious endocarditis revealing a colic adenocarcinoma (2 cases) and a villous adenoma (1 case), all being perfectly latent. The specific therapeutic problems arising from this association are outlined, including the antibiotic therapy, the role of the anticoagulant treatment and the priority given to valve surgery in case of hemodynamic instability.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Antibiotic prophylaxis and prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Early onset prosthetic valve endocarditis is one of the most lethal complications after valve replacement. During the first year of operation of our new cardiac surgical program, we observed 10 cases of prosthetic valve endocarditis, the majority being caused by staphylococci, making an incidence of 10.6%. Subsequent investigations uncovered a very high prevalence of methicillin-resistant strains which led to a radical change in the antibiotic prophylaxis, from a cephalosporin-based protocol to a two drug regime of vancomycin and netilmicin. There were no cases of prosthetic infection among the 138 patients operated on in the one year period following the institution of this protocol. Because there were no other changes, either in the types of prostheses used or the techniques of implantation, the eradication of prosthetic valve endocarditis can be related only to this alteration in the prophylaxis. Therefore, we may conclude that the inter-institutional transfer of protocols is not adequate before a thorough investigation of the prevalent hospital pathogens and their sensitivity to antibiotics is carried out. We have not registered resistances to vancomycin and this drug remains the most important antimicrobial agent, both in the prophylaxis and in the treatment of prosthetic valve endocarditis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Propionibacterium acnes in the etiology of endocarditis].

Propionibacterium acnes is the gram positive anaerobic bacteria belongs to the normal skin and oral microbial flora. The participation of this microorganism in the infective endocarditis is still controversial. The aim of the study was to perform the diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties in 5 patients with infective endocarditis caused by Propionibacterium acnes. In 3 out of 5 patients the infective endocarditis developed after prosthesis valve replacement, in 2 others on the native valves. The inserted prostheses were mechanical ones, propionibacterium acnes was identified as causative organisms in all of the causes (two positive blood and/or valve culture). The bacterial strains were sensitive to the antibiotics as: penicillins, cephalosporins, clindamycin, and vancomycin, however cephalosporins used at the beginning of the treatment in 3 patients and clindamycin in 1 patient had limited clinical efficacy. Later treatment with timentin, augmentin and tienamycin was successful in 3 patients; one patient was cured with vancomycin. One patient died because of septic, embolic complication in early stage of illness. We conclude the effectiveness of penicillins in combination with clavulanic acid and tienamycin in therapy of infective endocarditis due to Propionibacterium acnes. The treatment should be lasted during 4-6 weeks.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The surgical approach to infective endocarditis: 10 year experience.

BACKGROUND: About 40% of patients with infective endocarditis will require surgical treatment. The guidelines for such treatment were formulated by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association in 1998. OBJECTIVES: To examine our experience with surgical treatment of infective endocarditis in light of these guidelines. METHODS: Surgery was performed in 59 patients with infective endocarditis between 1990 and 1999. The patients' mean age was 48 years (range 13-80). The indications for surgery were hemodynamic instability, uncontrolled infection, and peripheral embolic events. The surgical treatment was based on elimination of infection foci and correction of the hemodynamic derangement. These objectives were met with valve replacement in the majority of patients. Whenever conservative surgery was possible, resection of vegetation and subsequent valve repair were performed and the native valve was preserved. RESULTS: Six patients (10%) died perioperatively from overwhelming sepsis (n = 3), low cardiac output (n = 2) and multiogran failure (n = 1). The mean hospital stay was 15.6 days. Of 59 patients, 47 (80%) underwent valve replacement and in 11 (19%) the surgical treatment was based on valve repair. After 1 year of follow-up there was no re-infection. CONCLUSION: The new guidelines for surgical treatment of infective endocarditis allow better selection of patients and timing of surgery for this aggressive disease, which consequently decreases the mortality rate. Valve repair is feasible and is preferred whenever possible. According to the new guidelines, patients with neurologic deficit in our series would not have been operated upon, potentially decreasing the operative mortality to 7%.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical and laboratory findings in a series of cases of infective endocarditis].

OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical and laboratory data of infective endocarditis (IE) in 28 children from Vitória, state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 28 children aged 18 years and under admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit of Nossa Senhora da Glória Children's Hospital with a diagnosis of IE from January 1993 to December 2001. The diagnosis of IE was based on the criteria established by the Duke Endocarditis Service (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA): positive blood cultures and echocardiogram (primary criteria); and fever, history of heart disease, recent heart murmur, and vascular and immunological phenomena (secondary criteria). A specific protocol was filled out by interns and medical students and revised by physicians from the hospital medical team to obtain the following data: age, sex, clinical and laboratory findings, and results of transthoracic echocardiography. In all cases, three blood samples were collected under aseptic conditions and inoculated in aerobic and anaerobic environments. The samples were then incubated at 37 degrees C and tested with the VITEC SYSTEM automatized system (BIOLAB). RESULTS: Among 28 patients, 16 were boys. Age was between 3 and 180 months (mean 70.6 +/- 59.2 months). Most children (68%) came from the metropolitan area of Vitória, and half presented a history of cardiopathy. The most frequent clinical findings which led to suspicion of IE were: prolonged fever in all cases, new or changing regurgitant murmur (67.9%), dyspnea (57.1%), hepatomegaly (57.1%), vascular phenomena (32.2%), splenomegaly (28.6%), and Osler's nodes (7.1%). Blood cultures were positive in 16 patients (57.1%), and community-acquired S. aureus was the most frequently isolated pathogen (56.6%). Despite the treatment, fever persisted for 2.5 to 30 days (median=18.0 days). Mean leukocyte count at admission was 11,657 +/- 7,085 mm3. Transthoracic echocardiography showed endocardial lesion in all patients, evidencing vegetations in the tricuspid valve (25%), mitral valve (25%), and intraventricular communication border (28%). Thirteen (46.4%) children presented concomitant sepsis and three (10.7%) developed hospital-acquired infection. There was one death (3.6%). CONCLUSIONS: IE in our country is frequent among children younger than 2 years with congenital cardiopathy. Community-acquired S. aureus was the most frequently isolated microorganism in children with no previous cardiac lesion. Acute infective endocarditis, bacterial endocarditis, Staphylococcus aureus, transthoracic echocardiography.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Ultrastructural changes of cardiac valves in bacterial endocarditis.

AIM: The principal objective of this study was to document morphological changes in valves with acute endocarditis in order to gain further knowledge of the pathogenesis of these diseases. METHODS: Scanning and transmission electron microscopic investigations were carried out on explanted human heart valves to reveal ultrastructural changes due to bacterial endocarditis. RESULTS: Bacterial inflammation endocarditis initially induced metaplasia of the endothelial cells which then lose contact with each other. In the 2nd phase of the disease, the collagen fibres are systematically removed whereby large cavities appear. In the 3rd phase, localised hyperplasia of collagen fibres was observed often resulting in the development of vegetation. The ultrastructural changes are uniform and independent of the bacterial species. CONCLUSION: Bacterial endocarditis is therefore a set of complex interactions between endothelial cells and bacteria which should be taken into consideration for the development of new therapeutic approaches.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Endocarditis prophylaxis in children with congenital heart disease. A parent's awareness.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to determine the parental knowledge of bacterial endocarditis prophylaxis (BEP). METHODS: Parents of 205 patients attending the Pediatric Cardiology Clinics at King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, King Fahad University Hospital, Al-Khobar and Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from July 1999 to June 2000, were interviewed by a standard questionnaire pertaining to their knowledge of their child's cardiac disease, medications, and BEP. The patients' cardiac lesions and current medications were verified by a review of medical records. Each patient's need for BEP was determined according to American Heart Association recommendations. RESULTS: All parents answered the interview questions. The patients' mean age was 5 years and 8 months with a range of one month to 15 years. One hundred and two (50%) parents were high school graduates. Fifty-two (25%) parents correctly defined endocarditis. Two hundred and one (98%) parents knew the correct name of their child's cardiac condition, and 46/50 (92%) of those on medication knew the names of their child's current medications. Only 113/176 (64%) parents with at risk children were aware of measures to prevent endocarditis. CONCLUSION: While most parents know the name of their child's heart lesion and current medications, parental knowledge of endocarditis and BEP was limited. Intensified education and awareness programs are needed in order to prevent potential major morbidity and mortality for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Myocardial infarction in patients with infectious endocarditis].

Myocardial infarction (MI) developed in 9% of 230 patients with active infectious endocarditis. Development of MI was associated with worsened clinical course and poorer prognosis of infectious endocarditis. MI manifested with pain in 43 and was painless in 57% of these cases. In 29% of patients initial manifestations of MI were disturbances of cardiac rhythm and conduction, and acute left ventricular failure. This precluded timely electrocardiographical diagnosis. However repetitive ECG recordings allowed to confirm MI in all patients. Elevation of enzymes helped to diagnose MI in 81% of cases. Possible causes of MI were shutting of coronary artery ostium by vegetation from an aortic valve cusp (in 47%) and/or lowering of perfusion pressure in coronary arteries because of severe aortic insufficiency (in 62% of patients). Disturbances of hemostasis with activation of its vascular and platelet elements and hypercoagulation found in all patients with infectious endocarditis also facilitated development of MI. The data obtained explain under investigated sides of pathogenesis of MI in infectious endocarditis and allow to find ways for improvement of its diagnosis and therapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Native quadruple-valve endocarditis caused by Enterococcus faecalis.

We report the case of a patient with postoperative, hospital-acquired, quadruple-valve endocarditis caused by Enterococcus faecalis on presumed normal native valves. During a cervical laminectomy, the patient had a non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction that was treated conservatively. In the intensive care unit, the patient became febrile and developed a new 2/6 systolic murmur. Blood cultures grew E. faecalis, and the patient was given antibiotics. Postoperative transthoracic echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography revealed vegetations on all 4 heart valves. Subsequently, the patient was moved to another facility and died. No autopsy was performed. E. faecalis is the third-most-common cause of bacterial endocarditis overall; however, it is rarely found in multiple-valve, hospital-acquired endocarditis. Although transthoracic echocardiography is a powerful diagnostic tool, transesophageal echocardiography increases the sensitivity and specificity to about 90%. In our patient, the diagnosis of native quadruple-valve endocarditis would not have not been made without the use of transesophageal echocardiography.

Cross Infection↗
PubMed2004

Infective endocarditis in patients with liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Infective endocarditis complicating liver cirrhosis is infrequently reported. This study evaluated the clinical features of infective endocarditis in Taiwanese patients with liver cirrhosis. METHODS: All cases of infective endocarditis occurring in patients with liver cirrhosis from December 1995 to December 2002 were included in this study. Data were collected by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: Twenty six patients (18 males, 8 females) with median age 6 years (range, 43 to 87) were included. The etiology of liver cirrhosis was hepatitis virus infection in 20 patients. There were 7 nosocomial infections. Bacterial pathogens were identified in 25 patients, with Staphylococcus aureus (n = 8), viridans streptococci (n = 4), Streptococcus sanguis (n = 2), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 2), and Enterococcus faecalis (n = 2) the most common isolates. The hospital mortality rate was 27%. Patients with in-hospital death were more likely to have a history of uremia, staphylococcal infection, nosocomial infection and less likely to have aortic valve infection. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients with infective endocarditis and liver cirrhosis was poor. Infection with Staphylococcus species was a dominant cause and methicillin resistance was common.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Impact of susceptibility to antibiotics of streptococci & enterococci isolated from patients with infective endocarditis on antibiotic treatment.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Streptococci and enterococci are the most frequent pathogens causing infective endocarditis. In order to update the recommendations for both curative and prophylaxis treatment, the susceptibility to antibiotics of the most prevalent species of Streptococcaceae isolated from the patients with infective endocarditis was determined. METHODS: Streptococcal and enterococcal isolates (n=133) isolated from confirmed cases of infective endocarditis during a one-year prospective survey conducted in 1999 in France were studied. The identification of 106 streptococci and 27 enterococci to the species level was carried out by conventional methods. Their susceptibility to ten antibiotics used in curative or prophylactic treatment was measured. Minimal inhibitory concentrations were determined by agar dilution method. RESULTS: All the streptococcal and enterococcal isolates were susceptible to 4 mg/l or less of penicillin or amoxicillin. High levels of resistance to aminoglycosides were observed in two species, Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus and Enterococcus faecalis. All isolates were susceptible to glycopeptides. Resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, and pristinamycin was restricted to some species. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Curative treatments recommended for streptococcal or enterococcal endocarditis, including penicillin, amoxicillin or vancomycin in association with gentamicin were found to be appropriate for 98.5 per cent of cases. The emergence of erythromycin resistance in oral streptococci led to the use of pristinamycin in oral prophylactic treatment in patients allergic to beta-lactams.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2004

[New French recommendations for the prophylaxis of infectious endocarditis].

New French recommendations on infective endocarditis (IE) prevention were recently published and mark a turning point in the history of antibiotic prophylaxis. Endocarditis is an evolving disease, and its clinical and microbiological profile dramatically changes over time. The French surveys that were conducted in 1991 and 1999 showed variations in underlying heart disease with a decrease in native valvular disease and an increase of IE in patients without previously known heart disease. Moreover, the distribution of responsible microorganisms dramatically changed over time, with a marked decrease of oral streptococci. In addition, some dogmas are now challenged. First of all, the part of responsibility of dental procedures is debated, as dental bacteraemia possibly responsible of endocarditis are more likely due to daily manoeuvres such as tooth brushing or chewing gum than to occasional dental procedures. Moreover, as suggested by case-control studies, efficacy--or lack of efficacy--of antibiotic prophylaxis is far from being clinically proved. For all these reasons, the proportion of theoretically avoidable endocarditis seems very low, and the benefit of largely and systematically applied antibiotic prophylaxis may be discussed, not only in terms of financial cost but also in terms of microbiological threat of emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. So, the general idea of those new recommendations was to maintain the principle and the modalities of antibiotic prophylaxis, but to limit its indications to situations at high benefit to risk ratio, i.e. procedures at high risk in patients at high risk. Depending on the situation, antibiotic prophylaxis may be either recommended or become optional and decision-making factors are defined. Furthermore, the importance of general prophylaxis was emphasised, concerning more specifically oral and cutaneous hygiene, and patients and practitioners' education, such as, for example, recommendations on blood cultures to be performed before any antibiotic treatment in case on fever occurring in a patient at risk during the 3 months following a procedure at risk.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis↗
PubMed2004

Impact of echocardiography in the short- and long-term prognosis of patients with infective endocarditis and negative blood cultures.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Higher morbidity and mortality have been attributed to patients suffering endocarditis but with negative blood cultures. The study aim was to determine whether, in the present era of routine echocardiography, patients with negative-culture endocarditis had a worse short- and long-term outcome, and whether outcomes in patients with true negative and aborted positive blood cultures were different. METHODS: When endocarditis was clinically suspected, an early (<24 h) echocardiographic examination was performed in all patients, regardless of blood culture results. In total, 151 patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE) comprised the study group. Among these patients, 40 (26%) had negative blood cultures, and 28 of this subgroup (70%) had received previous antibiotic therapy. Short- and long-term features and prognosis were compared between both groups. The combined main end-point was death or need for surgical repair. RESULTS: Similar anatomic and clinical characteristics were present among those patients with positive and negative cultures. In addition, mortality and need for surgery with regard to short- and long-term follow up of both groups was similar. There were no significant differences between patients with true- or aborted-negative cultures in terms of short- and long-term prognosis. CONCLUSION: No differences in short- and long-term prognosis were seen among patients with IE and positive versus negative blood cultures. The prognosis was also similar between those with true negative culture versus aborted negative cultures. Early echocardiography in patients with clinically suspected IE may have changed the outcome in patients with negative cultures.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

[Hepatosplenic and renal embolisms in infective endocarditis].

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Among the complications of infective endocarditis, systemic embolisms are an ominous prognostic sign. The aim of the present study was to compare the demographic, clinical, microbiologic and echocardiographic features of episodes of endocarditis accompanied and unaccompanied by embolisms in the spleen, kidney or liver. We also assessed the prognostic impact of these embolisms. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prospective, multicenter clinical cohort study. We analyzed 338 consecutive episodes of left-sided infective endocarditis in 308 patients. Episodes were classified in two groups: group I, episodes with hepatosplenic or renal embolisms (n=34); group II, episodes without embolisms (n=304). RESULTS: There were 41 embolisms in 34 episodes (10%). Of these, 34 were located in the spleen, 5 in the kidney and 2 in the liver. Some forms of clinical presentation predominated in group I, e.g., abdominal pain, splenomegaly, cutaneous stigmata, hematuria, embolisms in other locations, and septic shock. Staphylococcus aureus and enterococci were more commonly isolated in group I. Detection of vegetations (by transesophageal echocardiography) was more frequent in group I, and they were larger than vegetations in group II. Hepatosplenic and renal embolisms were not independently associated with the need for cardiac surgery or death. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatosplenic and renal embolisms occur in 10% of left-sided episodes of infective endocarditis. The clinical presentation of these episodes has characteristic features. Vegetations are larger than in episodes without these embolism. Hepatosplenic and renal embolisms do not increase neither the need of cardiac surgery nor the risk of death.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Infective endocarditis due to Abiotrophia defectiva: a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Endocarditis due to Abiotrophia sp. is rare and often associated with negative blood cultures. The rates of treatment failure, infection relapse and mortality are higher than in endocarditis caused by other viridans streptococci. METHODS: A retrospective review of A. defectiva endocarditis in a patient with prosthetic aortic valve and in a patient with Marfan syndrome was performed. RESULTS: A. defectiva, susceptible to penicillin (MIC 0.064 mg/l and 0.016 mg/l, respectively) was isolated from blood cultures of both patients. Treatment with penicillin and gentamicin was started in both patients. Since the first patient developed a macular rash and leukopenia, penicillin was substituted with ceftriaxone. Both patients responded well to antibiotic treatment, did not need prosthetic valve insertion or reinsertion, and were without any sequelae at one year follow up. CONCLUSION: Standard treatment of bacterial endocarditis with penicillin and gentamicin was effective in both patients. In contrast to previous reports, the present patients had a favorable outcome on completion of treatment and at one-year follow up.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Peripheral mycotic aneurysms in infective endocarditis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: Today, infective endocarditis (IE) remains a severe illness, with high mortality and morbidity. Mycotic aneurysms (MAs) are rare complications of IE. For most patients, surgical intervention represents the only hope for radical cure of extracranial MAs, and survival. METHODS: A total of 238 patients with IE was treated at the authors' center between January 1990 and December 2003. Among these patients, 10 underwent surgical intervention due to peripheral MAs. RESULTS: Concomitant surgery for intracardiac and extracardiac pathology was applied in three patients with native valve endocarditis to excise infected material. Aneurysmectomy and revascularization were performed in four patients with native endocarditis, and in three with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE). The intracardiac pathologies of these seven patients were treated with antimicrobial agents. Eight patients underwent surgery after completion of three weeks' antibiotic therapy. An autologous saphenous vein interposition was performed in eight patients, but in two cases, due to size discrepancy, a polytetraflouroethylene (PTFE) graft was chosen as the initial conduit to achieve arterial continuity. Saphenous vein graft rupture occurred in one patient; a PTFE graft was used to achieve second revascularization. Limb salvage was achieved in nine patients. Below-knee amputation was necessary in one patient; this was due to prior embolism of the distal arterial tree. Two patients died, one due to cerebral embolism and another to rupture of undiagnosed visceral MA. All other patients remain alive, without complications. CONCLUSION: Complete revascularization should be essential to treat peripheral MA in IE. Adequate resection, appropriate parenteral administration of antimicrobial agents and size discrepancy are far more important factors than the type of graft material in preventing suture-line infection and vessel or graft rupture.

Adolescent↗