The patient underwent prostatectomy before two months. After the operation, he suffered from intermittent fever, chest tightness, and suffocation. Combined with the history, symptoms, signs, laboratory examination, echocardiography, imaging examination (CT), and the positive blood culture for Enterococcus faecalis, the admitting diagnosis was aortic stenosis and insufficiency, mitral insufficiency, cardiac function grade Ⅲ (New York Heart Association grade), infective endocarditis, and aneurysm of aortic sinus. After 4-week antimicrobial drug treatment, the patient was in a stable condition with normal body temperature, multiple negative blood cultures, and normal laboratory-related examinations. After careful and sufficient preparation, transcatheter aortic valve replacement operation was performed in the hybrid operating room with 32 mm Venus-A valve. The operation was successful and the patient was discharged on the seventh day after operation. He continued to be treated with antimicrobial drugs for 4 weeks after surgery, and his temperature was normal. He had no chest tightness, asthma, or other symptoms. One, three, and six months after operation, blood tests and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were normal, electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm, and echocardiography showed a maximum aortic valve pressure difference of 7 mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa), no perivalvular leak and no pericardial effusion.
Abstract：?Objective?To analyze surgical procedures and clinical outcomes for patients with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy （HOCM） complicated by infective endocarditis.?Methods?We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 7 patients with HOCM complicated by infective endocarditis who underwent modified Morrow procedure，removal of intracardiac vegetation，and valve replacement in Fu Wai Hospital from Sep. 2006 to Feb. 2012. There were 5 male patients and 2 female patients with their mean age of 39.80±13.60 years（ranging 21-55）. Postoperative clinical outcomes were observed. Preoperative and postoperative left ventricular outflow tract （LVOT） gradients， left atrium （LA） diameter，left ventricular ejection fraction （LVEF） and heart function were compared.?Results?There was no in-hospital death and perioperative survival rate was 100% in this group. Bacteria vegetations were multiply detected on the mitral valve leaflet （7 cases）， aortic valve leaflet （4 cases） and ventricular septum （1 case） with their diameter of 2-19 mm. Blood culture showed Staphylococcus aureus （3 cases），Squirrel aureus （1 case） . Postoperatively， first-degree atrioventricular block occurred in 2 patients， complete left bundle branch block in 1 patient， left anterior division block in 2 patients， and all these complications were not treated. Postoperative LVOT gradient and LA diameter were significantly lower than preoperative values （P＜0.05）， and cardiac function was significantly improved in these patients. All the patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography at a mean follow-up of 13.00±17.19 （1-49） months in outpatient service. The clinical symptoms of all these patients were diminished or significantly ameliorated and their quality of life was considerably improved. All the patients had NYHA classⅠorⅡ without any reintervention or death during follow-up.?Conclusion?Modified Morrow procedure and valve replacement is a good surgical strategy for patients with HOCM complicated by infective endocarditis with satisfactory early and mid-term clinical outcomes.
ObjectiveTo explore the clinical value of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the diagnosis of infective endocarditis. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the transthoracic echocardiogram in 35 patients with infective endocarditis confirmed between September 2003 and September 2013. Patients underwent routine heart scan in all sections to measure sizes of all chambers and cardiac function, observe morphologies, activities and functions of all valves and ventricular walls, and diagnose whether underlying heart diseases exist, focusing on intracardiac vegetations and their distributions, morphologies, sizes, numbers, echoes and activities, and a full analysis of the blood culture findings was also conducted. ResultsOf the 35 patients undergoing initial TTE, 29 were positive, and 6 were negative (2 positive and 4 negative in the reexamination one week later). Vegetations were found in the mitral valve (8/35), aortic valve (15/35), tricuspid valve (5/35), pulmonary valve (1/35), pulmonary arterial wall (1/35) and right ventricle (1/35), respectively. There were 29 (8 and 21 with congenital and acquired heart diseases, respectively) and 6 patients with and without underlying heart diseases, respectively. Of the 35 blood cultures, 33 were positive and 2 were negative. ConclusionsTTE is rapid and accurate for early diagnosis of infective endocarditis, precise localization and rough quantification of vegetations, determination of whether valve damage occurs and what its severity is, and detection of whether complications exist. It is valuable for early diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and prognosis judgment.
Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) represents a severe complication of infective endocarditis (IE) and stands as a significant contributor to the poor prognosis associated with IE. Current guidelines suggested a delay of 4 weeks for cardiac surgery in patients with ICH, but these recommendations were based on insufficient clinical evidence, and recent studies have yielded different opinions. In this paper, we thoroughly reviewed relevant guidelines and their references in conjunction with 3 typical cases with IE and ICH, discussed the recommendations with controversy, and proposed a process for the management of IE with ICH.
Objective To summarize the clinical features of infectious intracranial aneurysm (IIA) related to infective endocarditis (IE) and share our experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of IIA. MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 554 patients who underwent cardiac surgery for IE at the Department of Cardiac Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital from September 2018 to August 2023. Patients with secondary IIA were included and reviewed. Based on the treatment strategies, patients were stratified into two groups: an antibiotic-only group and an endovascular treatment group. Results The cohort comprised 21 males and 10 females, with a median age of 33 years (IQR 26-53). Fifteen (48.4%) patients showed no significant neurological symptoms before IIA diagnosis. Seven patients received antibiotic therapy alone, while 24 underwent additional endovascular embolization, achieving technical success in 23 (95.8%) patients. The median interval between endovascular embolization and cardiac surgery was 2 days (IQR 0-6), with 9 patients undergoing concurrent procedures. In the antibiotic-only group, 3 (42.9%) patients suffered fatal IIA rupture. In contrast, only 1 (4.2%) death due to aneurysm rupture occurred in the endovascular treatment group. All surviving patients recovered well without new neurological deficits. Conclusion Routine neuroimaging screening for IIA is critical in IE patients. For those requiring cardiac surgery, endovascular embolization combined with antimicrobial therapy represents a reasonable strategy to mitigate rupture risks and improve outcomes.
Objective To improve the surgical results of infective endocarditis, the results and methods of aortic root replacement in patients with severe aortic valve infective or prosthetic valve endocarditis were summarized. Methods From Sept.1995 to June 2008, there were 11 patients with severe aortic valve endocarditis treated surgically, included 6 active endocarditis and 5 healed endocarditis. Preoperative arterial blood bacterial culture were positive in 6 patients. Preoperative echocardiography showed all patients had various degree of aortic regurgitation or paraprosthetic leakage, left ventricular endsystolic diameter(LVESD) was 6.0±0.7cm, LVESD was equal or greater than 5.5cm in 7 patients, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 47.8%±11.2％, and LVEF was equal or less than 50% in 8 patients. After careful debridement, composite conduit (9 patients) or cryopreserved allograft (2 patients) was used to replace the aortic root. Concomitant procedures were coronary artery bypass grafting in 4 patients, mitral annuloplasty in 3 patients, and ventricular septal defect repair in 1 patient. Results There was one patient died of postoperative cardiac arrest, one patient had Ⅲ° atrioventricular block and pacemaker implanted. Ten patients were followed up, followup time were from 3 months to 13.2 years. During the followup period, one patient had recurrence of endocarditis and died, others survived uneventually. Conclusion Aortic root replacement must be considered in following patients: endocarditis combined with root aneurysm or sinus aneurysm, infectious disease involved in sinus wall or nearby coronary ostia, annulus impairment and severe destructive annulus after debridement. The key points of the surgery are debriding the infectious tissue completely, preventing aortic root bleeding. Although the root replacement is relatively complex, the surgical results could be improved after complete debridement of infectious tissue.
Objective To investigate the knowledge level of Chinese cardiac surgeons regarding the management of infective endocarditis (IE), in order to identify the gap between clinical practices and the latest guidelines, and provide evidence-based support for improving the clinical management of IE. Methods A nationwide survey was conducted through an online questionnaire from December 5, 2024, to December 31, 2024. Descriptive analysis of the survey data was performed. Results A total of 67 valid responses were received from 18 provincial-level administrative divisions across China. While 56.7% (38/67) of respondents demonstrated familiarity with the modified Duke criteria, only 43.3% (29/67) comprehended the 2023 Duke- International Society of Cardiovascular Infectious Diseases criteria. Conversely, 43.3% (29/67) exhibited limited understanding of the former, and 56.7% (38/67) showed deficient knowledge of the latter diagnostic standards. Only 46.3% (31/67) reported proficiency in current IE management guidelines/consensus. Regarding surgical timing, 26.9% (18/67) advocated intervention within 7-14 days of antimicrobial therapy, 22.4% (15/67) during 14-28 days, and 10.5% (7/67) beyond 28 days. Notably, a significant proportion of respondents opted for delayed surgical intervention beyond guideline recommendations when managing patients with heart failure, uncontrolled infection, or neurological complications. Conclusion A knowledge gap and practice discrepancies exist among Chinese surgeons regarding the management of IE. There is an urgent need to promote updated concepts regarding surgical indications and timing for IE in order to optimize treatment strategies and improve patient prognosis.
ObjectiveTo discuss the diagnosis and treatment of culture-negative aortic infective endocarditis.MethodsThe clinical data of 73 patients with infective endocarditis of the aortic valve whose results of bacteria culture were negative from January 2013 to January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 59 males and 14 females aged 14-71 (39.2±14.8) years.ResultsSixty seven (91.8%) patients received aortic valve replacement, 2 (2.7%) patients received the second operation in hospital, and 12 (16.4%) patients had concomitant mitral valvuloplasty. In-hospital death occurred in 8 (11.0%) patients. Postoperatively, 11 (20.7%) patients had a low cardiac output and 4 (11.0%) patients had heart block, and 1 patient required implantation of a permanent pacemaker. The 1- and 5- year survival rates were 92.3%±2.3% and 84.5%±4.5%, respectively.ConclusionThere are difficulties in the diagnosis and treatment of culture-negative infective endocarditis. Most of the affected patients are in a healed status, which could be a cause of negative culture results. In-hospital mortality in the patients is associated with a history of previous cardiac surgery, whereas the long-term survival rate is good for the patients after surgery.
Objective To investigate clinical diagnosis，timing of surgery and perioperative therapeutic strategies for blood culture-negative infective endocarditis （IE）. Methods Clinical data of 240 IE patients who were admitted tWuhan Asia Heart Hospital between July 2008 and July 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. According to their blood cultureresults，all the patients were divided into blood culture-negative group and blood culture-positive group. In the blood culture-negative group，there were 158 patients including 88 male and 70 female patients with their age of 51.3±10.1 years. In the blood culture-positive group，there were 82 patients including 45 male and 37 female patients with their age of 48.9±9.8 years. All the patients underwent surgical treatment，and the surgical procedures included complete vegetations excision，debridement of infected valves，removal of necrotic tissue around the annulus，and concomitant heart valve replacement or intracardiac repair. Postoperatively，all the patients received routine monitoring in ICU，cardiac glycosides，diuretics，other symptomatic treatment and adequate dosages of antibiotics for 4-6 weeks. Results Four patients died postoperatively in this study including 1 patient for low cardiac output syndrome and 3 patients for multiple organ dysfunction syndrome，1 patient in the blood culture-positive group and 3 patients in the blood culture-negative group respectively. There was no statistical difference in surgical mortality between the 2 groups （χ2=0.15，P=0.70）. All the other patients were discharged successfully and followed up for 6 to 36 months with the median follow-up time of 22 months. During follow-up, 2 patients died including 1 patient for cerebral infarction 2 years after surgery and another patient for cerebral hemorrhage 3 yearsafter surgery. Conclusion Patients with blood culture-negative IE should receive adequate dosage and duration of broad-spectrum antibiotics to control the infection rapidly, and aggressive surgical therapy to decrease in-hospital mortality and improve their quality of life and prognosis.
ObjectiveTo study the relationship between the timing of surgery and one-year outcome in patients with infective endocarditis. MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 97 patients suffered from leftside native valve infective endocarditis with neoplasm, admitted in Shanghai First People's Hospital between January 2000 and December 2011. There were 65 males and 32 females with mean age of 55.2±16.3 years (ranged 29 to 75 years). They were divided into two groups according to whether the surgery was performed within a week after diagnosis. The in-hospital mortality and one-year mortality, embolism and re-infection were calculated and compared between the two groups. ResultsThere was no significant difference in the in-hospital mortality between the early surgery group and the conventional surgery group (1.9% versus 6.7%, P=0.241). While there was a significant difference in the rate of inhospital embolism related complications (1.9% versus 13.3%, P=0.030) between the two groups. There was no significant difference in one-year mortality between the two groups (1.9% versus 8.9%, P=0.122). The incidence rate of embolism related complication was 5.8% in the early surgery group and 20.0% in the conventional surgery group with a statistical difference (P=0.034). There was one patient with recurrent cerebral infarction among the 11 patients of cerebral infarction in the early surgery group,while 6 recurrent patients in the 9 patients with cerebral infarction in the conventional surgery group (9.1% versus 66.7%, P<0.005). ConclusionsEarly surgery in patients with left-side native valve infective endocarditis can't reduce the in-hospital mortality and one-year mortality but does decrease embolic events significantly. Early surgery is feasible in the patients with cerebral infarction.