Abstract： Objective To summarize the clinical diagnostic and therapeutic experiences of infective endocarditis (IE). Methods From Jan. 2000 to Aug. 2006，60 IE patients underwent heart operation in PLA General Hospital. There were 46 male and 14 female patients, with an average age of 34.3 years old. Blood culture was positive in 25 cases (41.7%), Streptococcus was found in 12 cases, Staphylococcus in 6 cases and other bacteria in 7 cases. Ultrasonic cardiography(UCG) revealed vegetations or valve perforation in 42 cases, including 26 aortic valves, 9 mitral valves and 6 double valves. 28 cases had primary cardiac diseases，including 16 cases of congenital heart anomalies，9 cases of rheumatic heart disease and 3 cases of mitral valve prolapse. High dose of sensitive antibiotics were utilized all through the treatment in all IE patients. There were 55 selective surgeries and 5 emergent ones. Infected tissues were debrided radically，intracardiac malformation was corrected in 16 cases, valve replacement was performed in 41 cases, tricuspid plasty in 1 case. Results There were 3 patients of earlydeath. 51 patients(89.5%) were followedup for 5-71 months with norecurrence. Postoperative cardiac function (NYHA): class I was in 38 cases, class II in 13 cases. Conclusion Early diagnosis, optimal surgical timing, combined internal medicine and surgical treatment provided good therapeutic effect of IE.
ObjectiveTo analyze the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ventricular septal defect complicated with infective endocarditis.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 40 patients with ventricular septal defect complicated with infective endocarditis in our hospital from 2001 to 2016. There were 25 males and 15 females, aged 20-62 (39.92±11.16) years. They were divided into two groups according to the duration from admission to surgery: a group A (an early operation group whose surgery was performed within 7 days after admission) and a group B (a conventional treatment group with the duration from admission to surgery>7 days). Among them, there were 27 patients in the group A including 15 males and 12 females with an average age of 39.56±11.80 years, and 13 patients in the group B including 10 males and 3 females with an average age of 40.69±10.13 years. All patients were examined by echocardiogram and blood bacterial culture to investigate their etiology, echocardiogram results and treatment status. And the clinical data of the two groups were compared.ResultsTwo patients died before operation in the group B, one died of heart failure, and one cerebral infarction. No reoperation during hospitalization, cerebral infarction, thromboembolism or other complications occurred. The ventilation time in the group A was significantly shorter than that in the group B (18.00±14.85 h vs. 31.00±29.57 h, P=0.015). There was no statistical difference in the extracorporeal circulation time, myocardial block time, or postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (P>0.05). After discharge, the patients continued antibiotic therapy for 3-6 weeks. Patients were followed up for 12-127 (75.74±6.01) months, 1 died of malignant tumors in the group A, 1 developed atrial fibrillation and 1 developed cardiac insufficiency in the group B, and the rest of patients did not complain of obvious discomfort. There was no residual shunt, recurrence of infective endocarditis, reoperation, postoperative stroke or thromboembolism.ConclusionPreoperative echocardiography and blood bacteriological culture are helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with ventricular septal defect complicated with infective endocarditis. Early surgery is safe and effective for these patients, and can improve the long-term survival rate.
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease with severe complications and high mortality. It is heterogeneous in etiology, clinical manifestations, and course. At the same time, there are many disputes on the clinical practice of antibiotic treatment, surgical indications and timing. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of IE, especially the latest advances in surgical treatment after the release of European Society of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines in 2015.