Clinical features of the course of infective endocarditis of prosthetic valves and endocarditis of intracardiac devices

Background. The increase in the number of cardiac surgeries has also led to a growth in cases of infective endocarditis of prosthetic valves and intracardiac devices. Both endocarditis are associated with difficulties in diagnosis, treatment and poor prognosis, which makes it relevant to analyze the clinical manifestations of these forms of endocarditis, especially in comparison with the results of other studies.

Objective. To identify the features of clinical manifestations of infective endocarditis of prosthetic valves and endocarditis of intracardiac devices.

Materials and methods. We analyzed clinical manifestations, laboratory, echocardiographic data and their dynamics during therapy in patients with infective endocarditis localized on the prosthesis (37 patients) or electrodes in the heart (15 patients). In the comparison group there were 21 patients with IE of the native valve.

Results. Older patients were observed in the infective endocarditis group of valve prostheses and intracardiac devices. In all forms of infective endocarditis, the most common symptoms were fever, weakness and malaise; laboratory indicators included accelerated ESR and leukocytosis, and increased CRP. Manifestations of heart failure were more often observed in the group of prosthetic endocarditis (59.4%), in the group of native valve endocarditis in 40% of cases, in the group of electrode endocarditis less often – in 20% of cases. The most common causative agent of infective endocarditis was Staphylococcus aureus. We analyzed diseases and previous operations of infective endocarditis, as well as the time of onset of symptoms.

Conclusion. The type of prosthesis and its location do not exclude the possibility of endocarditis. In patients with electrode endocarditis, the infection was localized in 2/3 of cases only on the electrode, in 1/3 of cases – on the electrode and the tricuspid valve. For instrumental diagnosis of prosthetic and electrode endocarditis, transesophageal echocardiography was more informative. Conservative treatment was successful in 75% of patients with prosthetic infective endocarditis, and with electrode infective endocarditis, surgical intervention was required in 53.3%.

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