Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) occurs in 3-6% of patients within 5 years of valve implantation and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Studies comparing outcomes following early surgical intervention as compared with medical therapy in PVE patients have been conflicting. The ICE-PCS is a multinational prospective cohort study of patients with infective endocarditis. A […]
Tag: endocarditis
Timing of surgery for endocarditis
Bacterial endocarditis continues to carry a substantial risk of death. Whilst surgical intervention in patients with incipient heart failure is recognised as efficacious, the timing and indications for surgical intervention to prevent systemic embolism remain controversial. In this small, single centre study Kang et al compared the clinical outcome of early surgery versus conventional treatment […]
Infective endocarditis caused by cardiac devices
The number of electronic cardiac devices, including pacemakers and cardioverter-defibrillators, being implanted each year is increasing. As a result, there has been a 210% increase in the incidence of device infection between 1993 and 2008 in the United States. Cardiac device infective endocarditis (CDIE) is significant in that it is associated with a higher mortality […]