Warfarin therapy and incidence of cerebrovascular complications in left-sided native valve endocarditis

Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients With Infective Endocarditis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Antithrombotic therapy (ATT) in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) is challenging.

Objectives

The authors evaluated the impact of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy on clinical endpoints in IE patients.

Methods

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis comparing IE patients with prior and/or ongoing use of ATT vs those without any ATT during IE course. Primary outcome was reported in-hospital cerebrovascular events. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), systemic thromboembolism (ST), and mortality within 6 months.

Results

Twelve studies, with a total of 12,151 patients, were included. The primary endpoint was not different comparing 10,115 IE patients with or without prior anticoagulation (OR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.56-2.17; P = 0.77) or comparing 838 IE patients with or without prior antiplatelet (OR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.61-1.33; P = 0.61). In-hospital mortality was lower in IE patients with prior anticoagulation compared to those without (OR: 0.74; 95% CI: 0.57-0.96; P = 0.03). There was no difference in reported ICH rates between patients with or without prior anticoagulation (OR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.27-1.09; P = 0.09) or between patients with or without prior antiplatelet (OR: 0.35; 95% CI: 0.11-1.10; P = 0.07). The rate of ST was lower in IE patients with prior antiplatelet therapy compared to those without (OR: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.38-0.72; P < 0.01).

Conclusions

ATT in IE patients was not associated with higher frequency of cerebrovascular events or ICH. Moreover, we found that the use of anticoagulation was associated with decreased in-hospital mortality and the use of antiplatelets was associated with decreased ST. Due to the limitations of this study, these results should be interpreted cautiously showing the necessity of a randomized setup.

Initiation of warfarin is associated with decreased mortality in patients with infective endocarditis: A population-based cohort study

IMPORTANCE

The use of warfarin to prevent thromboembolism in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) remains controversial due to potentially increased bleeding risks.

DESIGN

Population-based retrospective cohort study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged 18 or older and diagnosed with IE in Hong Kong between January 1st, 1997 and August 31st, 2020 were included. Patients with use of any anticoagulant 30 days before IE diagnosis were excluded. Patients initiated on warfarin within 14 days of IE diagnosis and patients without warfarin use were matched for baseline characteristics using 1:1 propensity score matching.

EXPOSURE

Warfarin use within 14 days of IE diagnosis.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Patients were followed up to 90 days for the outcomes of ischemic stroke, all-cause mortality, intracranial hemorrhage, and gastrointestinal bleeding. Cox regression was used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) [95 % confidence intervals (CIs)] between treatment groups. Fine-Gray competing risk regression with all-cause mortality as the competing event was performed as a sensitivity analysis. In addition to 90-day analyses, landmark analyses were performed at 30 days of follow-up.

RESULTS

The matched cohort consisted of 675 warfarin users (57.0 % male, age 59 ± 16 years) and 675 warfarin non-users (53.5 % male, age 61 ± 19 years). Warfarin users had a 50 % decreased 90-day risk in all-cause mortality (HR:0.50 [0.39-0.65]), without significantly different 90-day risks of ischemic stroke (HR:1.04 [0.70-1.53]), intracranial hemorrhage (HR:1.25 [0.77-2.04]), and gastrointestinal bleeding (HR:1.04 [0.60-1.78]). Thirty-day landmark analysis showed similar results. Competing risk regression showed significantly higher 30-day cumulative incidence of intracranial hemorrhage in warfarin users (sub-HR:3.34 [1.34-8.31]), but not at 90-day (sub-HR:1.63 [0.95-2.81]). Results from Fine-Gray regression were otherwise congruent with those from Cox regression.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Warfarin initiated within 14 days of IE diagnosis was associated with significantly decreased risks of mortality but higher risks of intracranial hemorrhage, with similar risks of ischemic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding, compared with non-use of warfarin with 14 days of IE diagnosis.

KEY POINTS

Question: Is warfarin, initiated within 14 days of a diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE), efficacious and safe?

FINDINGS

In this propensity score-matched, population-based, prospective cohort study from Hong Kong, warfarin use within 14 days of IE diagnosis was associated with a 50 % decrease in the risk of all-cause mortality, albeit with higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage, and without significant differences in the risk of ischaemic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding. Meaning: In patients with IE, warfarin use within 14 days of diagnosis may have mortality benefits, despite increased risks of intracranial hemorrhage.

Antithrombotic Therapy for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Ischemic Stroke: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Stroke is a devastating condition with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Antithrombotic therapy plays a crucial role in both primary and secondary prevention of stroke events. Single or dual antiplatelet therapy is generally preferred in cases of large-artery atherosclerosis and small-vessel disease, whereas anticoagulation is recommended in conditions of blood stasis or hypercoagulable states that mostly result in red thrombi. However, the benefit of antithrombotic therapies must be weighed against the increased risk of bleeding, which can pose significant challenges in the pharmacological management of this condition. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the currently available evidence on antithrombotic therapy for ischemic stroke and outlines an updated therapeutic algorithm to support physicians in tailoring the strategy to the individual patient and the underlying mechanism of stroke.

Management of anticoagulation in patients with infective endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) carries a high risk of vascular complications (e.g., cerebral embolism, intracerebral hemorrhage, and renal infarction), which are correlated with increased early and late mortality. Although anticoagulation is the cornerstone for management of thromboembolic complications, it remains controversial and challenging in patients with IE. An appropriate anticoagulation strategy is crucial to improving outcomes and requires a good understanding of the indication, timing, and regimen of anticoagulation in the setting of IE. Observational studies have shown that anticoagulant treatment failed to reduce the risk of ischemic stroke in patents with IE, supporting that IE alone is not an indication for anticoagulation. In the absence of randomized controlled trials and high-quality meta-analyses, however, current guidelines on IE were based largely on observational data and expert opinion, providing few specific recommendations on anticoagulation. A multidisciplinary approach and patient engagement are required to determine the timing and regimen of anticoagulation in patients with IE, especially in specific situations (e.g., receiving warfarin anticoagulation at the time of IE diagnosis, cerebral embolism or ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, or urgent surgery). Collectively, individualized strategies on anticoagulation management of IE should be based on clinical evaluation, available evidence, and patient engagement, and ultimately be developed by the multidisciplinary team.

Adding Fuel to the Fire: Infective Endocarditis and the Challenge of Cerebrovascular Complications

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Infective endocarditis is a deadly disease and made more deadly by neurologic complications. We review the cerebrovascular complications of infective endocarditis and focus our discussion on medical and surgical management.

RECENT FINDINGS

While management of stroke in the setting of infective endocarditis differs from standard stroke treatment, mechanical thrombectomy has proven safe and successful. Optimal timing of cardiac surgery in the setting of stroke remains an area of debate, but additional observational studies continue to add more detail to the discussion. Cerebrovascular complications in the setting of infective endocarditis remain a high stakes clinical challenge. Timing of cardiac surgery in IE complicated by stroke exemplifies these dilemmas. While more studies have suggested that earlier cardiac surgery is likely safe for those with small ischemic infarcts, there remains a need for more data defining optimal timing of surgery in all forms of cerebrovascular involvement.

Native and Prosthetic Simultaneously Double Valve Infective Endocarditis with Enterococcus faecalis-Case-Based Review

Infective endocarditis is a severe infective heart disease, commonly involving native or prosthetic valves. It frequently presents with univalvular involvement and simultaneous double valve or multivalvular involvement is rarely described. The third leading cause of infective endocarditis worldwide is Enterococcus faecalis, which is associated with high mortality rates despite important advances in antimicrobial therapy. It develops secondary to enterococcal bacteremia, with its origin from the gastrointestinal or genitourinary tract and predominantly affecting the elderly population with multiple comorbidities. Clinical presentation is usually less typical, and the treatment is challenging. It can be marked by antibiotic resistance, side effects, and subsequent complications. Surgical treatment can be considered if deemed appropriate. To the best of our knowledge, we present the first case-based narrative review of Enterococcus faecalis double valve endocarditis involving both the aortic native and prosthetic mitral valve, highlighting the clinical characteristics, treatment, and complications of this condition.

Value of 18F-FDG pet/CT for prognostic assessment in patients with infective endocarditis

BACKGROUND

¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT is a valuable diagnostic tool in infective endocarditis (IE). However, the prognostic value is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic performance of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in native valve endocarditis (NVE) and prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE).

METHODS

We retrospectively included 76 patients treated for definite IE (NVE and PVE) that underwent ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT between January 2016 and December 2018. Clinical, echocardiographic and ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT (pathologic valvular ¹⁸F-FDG uptake, extracardiac complications (ECC)) data were collected. The primary endpoint was defined as mortality or recurrence of IE at a one-year follow-up.

RESULTS

Pathologic valvular ¹⁸F-FDG uptake was detected in 32 of 57 (56.1%) patients, 30% (9/30) in NVE and 85.2% (23/27) in PVE group. Atrial fibrillation (OR 3.90, 95% CI = 1.14-16.3), prior anticoagulation treatment (OR 6.37, 95% CI = 1.89-26.7), large vegetation (≥ 10 mm) (OR 4.05, 95% CI = 1.14-16.1), perivalvular complications (OR 7.22, 95% CI = 1.68-55.1) and abscess (OR 10.9, 95% CI = 1.84-283) were associated with positive PET/CT. Extracardiac complications were found in 27 of 76 (35.5%) patients, 42.9% (18/42) in the NVE and 26.5% (9/34) in the PVE group. Pathological valvular tracer uptake (HR 1.20, 95% CI = 0.43-3.37) or extracardiac complications (HR 0.58, 95% CI = 0.21-1.62) were not associated with the occurrence of the primary endpoint.

CONCLUSION

Our study could not demonstrate a prognostic value of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT in IE, but confirms high diagnostic performance, which may compromise prognostic significance by accelerated optimal treatment because of earlier diagnostic certainty.

A rare case of septic pulmonary embolism in co-existence with infective endocarditis and COVID-19

Infective endocarditis (IE) symptoms including fever, fatigue, dyspnea and myalgia are similar in COVID-19 findings. Therefore, the diagnosis of IE may be missed in patients with COVID-19. Co-existence with IE in COVID-19 is rarely reported. However, to our knowledge, only one case of septic pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 and IE was reported. Here, we describe a case of septic embolism due to tricuspid endocarditis caused by intravenous drug use in patients with COVID-19. In this fatal case, the use of prophylactic anticoagulants due to COVID-19 probably caused the tendency to hemorrhagic cerebrovascular complications. Our report emphasizes the complexity of anticoagulant prophylaxis in patients with COVID-19 which may cause hypercoagulopathy in co-existence with IE.

Coagulation Disorders in Infective Endocarditis: Role of Pathogens, Biomarkers, Antithrombotic Therapy (Systematic Review)

The issue of antithrombotic therapy in patients with infective endocarditis has been studied for over 75 years. During that time studying of pathogenesis of the disease and its embolic complications, lead to the introduction of the concept of “immunothrombosis”. That mechanism allows infective agents (mostly bacteria) to be cloaked from the immune system and to multiply freely, leading to growth of vegetation, thus resulting in higher chance of fragmentation. Small-scale experimental and clinical studies on the correction of hemostatic disorders in infective endocarditis, that were performed in 20th century, didn’t show any significant results, that could affect clinical practice. However, reinterpretation of available data on coagulative system will allow to have elements of hemostasis as an application point in treating infective endocarditis. The article will discuss latest insights on the role of hemostasis system in pathophysisology of infective endocarditis, its effects on the development of the embolic complications, perspectives for diagnostics and treatment.

Combined Bacterial Meningitis and Infective Endocarditis: When Should We Search for the Other When Either One is Diagnosed?

Introduction

We aimed to describe patients with coexisting infective endocarditis (IE) and bacterial meningitis (BM).

Methods

We merged two large prospective cohorts, an IE cohort and a BM cohort, with only cases of definite IE and community-acquired meningitis. We compared patients who had IE and BM concurrently to patients with IE only and BM only.

Results

Among the 1030 included patients, we identified 42 patients with IE–BM (4.1%). Baseline characteristics of patients with IE–BM were mostly similar to those of patients with IE, but meningitis was the predominant presentation at admission (39/42, 92.3%). Causative pathogens were predominantly Streptococcus pneumoniae (18/42, 42.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (14/42, 33.3%). All pneumococcal IE were associated with BM (18/18). BM due to oral and group D streptococci, Streptococcus agalactiae, and S. aureus were frequently associated with IE (14/30, 46.7%). Three-month mortality was 28.6% in patients with IE–BM, 20.5% in patients with IE, and 16.6% in patients with BM.

Conclusions

Patients with pneumococcal IE or altered mental status during IE must be investigated for BM. Patients with S. aureus, oral and group D streptococcal or enterococcal BM, or unfavorable outcome in pneumococcal meningitis would benefit from an echocardiography. Patients with the dual infection have the worst prognosis. Their identification is mandatory to initiate appropriate treatment.

Anti-biofilm Approach in Infective Endocarditis Exposes New Treatment Strategies for Improved Outcome

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a life-threatening infective disease with increasing incidence worldwide. From early on, in the antibiotic era, it was recognized that high-dose and long-term antibiotic therapy was correlated to improved outcome. In addition, for several of the common microbial IE etiologies, the use of combination antibiotic therapy further improves outcome. IE vegetations on affected heart valves from patients and experimental animal models resemble biofilm infections. Besides the recalcitrant nature of IE, the microorganisms often present in an aggregated form, and gradients of bacterial activity in the vegetations can be observed. Even after appropriate antibiotic therapy, such microbial formations can often be identified in surgically removed, infected heart valves. Therefore, persistent or recurrent cases of IE, after apparent initial infection control, can be related to biofilm formation in the heart valve vegetations. On this background, the present review will describe potentially novel non-antibiotic, antimicrobial approaches in IE, with special focus on anti-thrombotic strategies and hyperbaric oxygen therapy targeting the biofilm formation of the infected heart valves caused by Staphylococcus aureus. The format is translational from preclinical models to actual clinical treatment strategies.

Infective endocarditis and neurologic events: indications and timing for surgical interventions

A therapeutic dilemma arises when infective endocarditis (IE) is complicated by a neurologic event. Postponement of surgery up to 4 weeks is recommended by the guidelines, however, this negatively impacts outcomes in many patients with an urgent indication for surgery due to uncontrolled infection, disease progression, or haemodynamic deterioration. The current literature is ambiguous regarding the safety of cardiopulmonary bypass in patients with recent neurologic injury. Nevertheless, most publications demonstrate a lower risk for secondary haemorrhagic conversion of uncomplicated ischaemic lesions than the risk for recurrent embolism under antibiotic treatment. Here, we discuss the current literature regarding neurologic stroke complicating IE with an indication for surgery.

Risk of postoperative neurological exacerbation in patients with infective endocarditis and intracranial haemorrhage

OBJECTIVES

Cardiac surgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE) and preoperative intracranial haemorrhage (pre-ICH) is a highly debatable issue, and guidelines are still not well defined. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of cardiac surgery and its timing on the clinical outcomes of patients with IE and pre-ICH.

METHODS

We did a single-centre retrospective analysis of data from patients with preoperative brain imaging who had surgery for left-sided IE between January 2007 and May 2018.

RESULTS

Among the 363 patients included in the study, 34 had pre-ICH. Hospital mortality was similar between the patients with and without pre-ICH (29% vs 27%, respectively; P = 0.84). Unadjusted, postoperative neurological deterioration appeared higher in patients with pre-ICH (24% vs 17%; P = 0.35). In multivariable analysis, pre-ICH did not qualify as an independent predictor for either postoperative neurological deterioration [odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44-2.73; P = 0.84] or hospital mortality (odds ratio 1.02, 95% CI 0.43-2.40; P = 0.96). Postoperative partial thromboplastin time was significantly elevated in 4 patients with relevant post-ICH compared with those patients without relevant post-ICH (65.5 vs 37.6, respectively; P = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-ICH was not an independent predictor for postoperative neurological deterioration or hospital mortality in patients with IE. Postoperative coagulation management seems to be crucial in patients with IE with ICH. Although this is to date the largest monocentric study addressing surgical decision and timing, the number of patients with pre-ICH was low. Therefore, these conclusions should be regarded with caution; randomized clinical trials are needed.

Coagulation: At the heart of infective endocarditis

Infective endocarditis is a life-threatening and enigmatic disease with a mortality of 30% and a pathophysiology that is poorly understood. However, at its core, an endocarditis lesion is mainly a fibrin and platelet blood clot infested with bacteria, clinging at the cardiac valves. Infective endocarditis therefore serves as a paradigm of immunothrombosis gone wrong. Immunothrombosis refers to the entanglement of the coagulation system with innate immunity and the role of coagulation in the isolation and clearance of invading pathogens. However, in the case of infective endocarditis, instead of containing the infection, immunothrombosis inadvertently creates the optimal shelter from the immune system and allows some bacteria to grow almost unimpeded. In every step of the disease, the coagulation system is heavily involved. It mediates the initial adhesion of bacteria to the leaflets, fuels the growth and maturation of a vegetation, and facilitates complications such as embolization and valve destruction. In addition, the number one cause of infective endocarditis, Staphylococcus aureus, has proven to be a true manipulator of immunothrombosis and thrives in the fibrin rich environment of an endocarditis vegetation. Considering its central role in infective endocarditis, the coagulation system is an attractive therapeutic target for this deadly disease. There is, however, a very delicate balance at play and the use of antithrombotic drugs in patients with endocarditis is often accompanied with a high bleeding risk.

Increased Risk of Ischemic Stroke After Treatment of Infective Endocarditis: A Danish, Nationwide, Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Several studies have reported a high risk of ischemic stroke (IS) during the acute phase of infective endocarditis (IE). The long-term risk of IS after IE, however, is not fully illuminated.

METHODS

This Danish, nationwide, register-based, propensity score-matched cohort study used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of IS for persons with vs without a history of left-sided IE, from 1977 to 2015.

RESULTS

We followed 9312 patients exposed to a first-time IE and 91 996 nonexposed, matched control persons. Compared to persons without IE, patients with a history of IE had a significantly increased risk of IS; the risk was highest during the first 4 weeks after IE diagnosis (HR 57.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 45.58-71.78; P < .0001) and a moderately elevated risk persisted until 2 years after IE (4 weeks to 3 months after IE, HR 5.40, 95% CI 4.11-7.19; 3 months to 2 years after IE, HR 1.73, 95% CI 1.48-2.01). Mediation analyses showed that the higher risk of IS the first 2 years after IE could not be explained by atrial fibrillation (AF) or inserted mechanical valves in IE patients. In the period from 4 weeks to 3 months after IE diagnosis, patients treated with anticoagulative therapy had a lower risk of IS (HR 0.30, 95% CI .10-0.96; P = .04).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with a history of IE had an increased risk of IS for up to 2 years after IE diagnosis. The increased risk was unrelated to AF and inserted mechanical valves. During the initial phase after IE, patients taking an anticoagulative medication had a lower risk of IS.

The Effect of Preexisting Anticoagulation on Cerebrovascular Events in Left-Sided Infective Endocarditis

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a frequent complication of infective endocarditis, especially infection involving left-sided valves. Management of anticoagulation in left-sided infective endocarditis is controversial as it is unclear whether anticoagulation impacts stroke and bleeding risk in patients with this condition. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of anticoagulation on stroke occurrence and bleeding complications in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis.

METHODS

Patients admitted to a tertiary academic hospital with left-sided infective endocarditis between December 2011 and April 2018 were identified. Patients were stratified based on receipt of therapeutic anticoagulation prior to admission. The primary outcome measure was the rate of radiographically confirmed stroke at 10 weeks.

RESULTS

Two-hundred and fifty-eight consecutive patients with left-sided infective endocarditis were identified. Patients receiving anticoagulation (n = 50) were older (median age 63 vs 52; P = .02), were more likely to have a history of atrial fibrillation (22% vs 8.2%; P < .01), more often had prosthetic valves (38% vs 13.9%; P < .01), and had a lower incidence of mitral valve involvement (40% vs 62%; P < .01), compared with patients not receiving anticoagulation. There was no significant difference in the rate of stroke, cerebrovascular hemorrhage, or mortality at 10 weeks between the two cohorts.

CONCLUSIONS

Preexisting anticoagulation did not appear to have an effect on stroke, cerebrovascular hemorrhage, or mortality in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis at 10 weeks. Continuation of anticoagulation in patients with a definitive preexisting indication should be considered in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis in the absence of other contraindications.

Risk of stroke subsequent to infective endocarditis: A nationwide study

BACKGROUND

The aim of the study was to investigate the associated risk of stroke after discharge of infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with stroke during IE admission compared with patients without stroke during IE admission.

METHODS

Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified nonsurgically treated patients with IE discharged alive in the period from 1996 to 2016. The study population was grouped into (1) patients with stroke during IE admission and (2) patients without stroke during IE admission. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional-hazard analysis was used to compare the associated risk of stroke between groups.

RESULTS

We identified 4,284 patients with IE, of whom 239 (5.6%) had a stroke during IE admission. We identified differentials in the associated risk of stroke during follow-up between groups (P = .006 for interaction with time). The associated risk of stroke was higher in patients with stroke during IE admission with a 1-year follow-up, HR = 3.21 (95% CI 1.66-6.20), compared with patients without stroke during IE admission. From 1 to 5 years of follow-up, we identified no difference in the associated risk of stroke between groups, HR = 0.91 (95% CI 0.33-2.50).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with nonsurgically treated IE with a stroke during IE admission were at significant higher associated risk of subsequent stroke within the first year of follow-up as compared with patients without a stroke during IE admission. This risk difference was not evident beyond 1 year of discharge. These findings underline the need for identification of causes and mechanisms of recurrent strokes after IE to develop preventive means.

Infectious endocarditis: An update for emergency clinicians

INTRODUCTION

Infectious endocarditis (IE) is a potentially deadly disease without therapy and can cause a wide number of findings and symptoms, often resembling a flu-like illness, which makes diagnosis difficult.

OBJECTIVE

This narrative review evaluates the presentation, evaluation, and management of infective endocarditis in the emergency department, based on the most current literature.

DISCUSSION

IE is due to infection of the endocardial surface, most commonly cardiac valves. Major risk factors include prior endocarditis (the most common risk factor), structural heart damage, IV drug use (IVDU), poor immune function (vasculitis, HIV, diabetes, malignancy), nosocomial (surgical hardware placement, poor surgical technique, hematoma development), and poor oral hygiene, and a wide variety of organisms can cause IE. Patients typically present with flu-like illness. Though fever and murmur occur in the majority of cases, they may not be present at the time of initial presentation. Other findings such as Roth spots, Janeway lesions, Osler nodes, etc. are not common. An important component is consideration of risk factors. A patient with IVDU (past or current use) and fever should trigger consideration of IE. Other keys are multiple sites of infection, poor dentition, and abnormal culture results with atypical organisms. If endocarditis is likely based on history and examination, admission for further evaluation is recommended. Blood cultures and echocardiogram are key diagnostic tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Emergency physicians should consider IE in the patient with flu-like symptoms and risk factors. Appropriate evaluation and management can significantly reduce disease morbidity and mortality.

Infective endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare, life-threatening disease that has long-lasting effects even among patients who survive and are cured. IE disproportionately affects those with underlying structural heart disease and is increasingly associated with health care contact, particularly in patients who have intravascular prosthetic material. In the setting of bacteraemia with a pathogenic organism, an infected vegetation may form as the end result of complex interactions between invading microorganisms and the host immune system. Once established, IE can involve almost any organ system in the body. The diagnosis of IE may be difficult to establish and a strategy that combines clinical, microbiological and echocardiography results has been codified in the modified Duke criteria. In cases of blood culture-negative IE, the diagnosis may be especially challenging, and novel microbiological and imaging techniques have been developed to establish its presence. Once diagnosed, IE is best managed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in infectious diseases, cardiology and cardiac surgery. Antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of IE remains controversial. Efforts to develop a vaccine that targets common bacterial causes of IE are ongoing, but have not yet yielded a commercially available product.

A review of the role of anticoagulation for patients with infective endocarditis and embolic stroke

Stroke is a common embolic complication of infective endocarditis. The most important treatment to prevent stroke in endocarditis is the initiation of antibiotic therapy. It is unclear whether the initiation of de novo anticoagulation (i.e, warfarin) in patients with infective endocarditis is beneficial, since there are no large or randomized controlled trials in this area. However, this case report suggests, despite the limited evidence, that anticoagulation in this patient caused no harm and could suggest a hint of possible benefit.

Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a noncontagious infection of the endocardium and heart valves. The epidemiology of IE has shifted recently with an increase in health care-associated IE. Infective endocarditis requiring intensive care unit stay is increasing, and nosocomial IE is frequently responsible. Diagnosis of IE requires multiple clinical data points encompassing history and physical examination, microbiology, and cardiac imaging as no one test is sufficiently sensitive or specific. The modified Duke criteria algorithm is the standard of care in the clinical diagnosis of IE. Complications from IE are common, particularly so in the critical care setting, and include congestive heart failure, embolism, septic shock, invasive infection, prosthetic valve dehiscence, heart block, and mycotic aneurysm. A multidisciplinary care team of infectious disease, cardiology, and cardiac surgery physicians is recommended to reduce complications. Intravenous antibiotics are first-line therapy with cardiac surgery being reserved for certain complications of IE and/or for clinical situations in which there is a high risk of complications. Timing of surgery for IE remains controversial and depends on a variety of clinical factors.

Usefulness of anticoagulant therapy in the prevention of embolic complications in patients with acute infective endocarditis

Background. The use of anticoagulant therapy (ACT) in patients with acute infective endocarditis (IE) remains a controversial issue. Our study attempts to estimate the impact of ACT on the occurrence of embolic complications and the usefulness of ACT in the prevention of embolism in IE patients. Methods. The present authors analyzed 150 patients with left-sided IE. Embolisms including cerebrovascular events (CVE) and the use of ACT were checked at the time of admission and during hospitalization. Results. 57 patients (38.0%) experienced an embolic event. There was no significant difference in the incidence of CVE and in-hospital mortality between patients with and without warfarin use at admission, although warfarin-naïve patients were significantly more likely to have large (>1 cm) and mobile vegetation. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of postadmission embolism and in-hospital death between patients with and without in-hospital ACT. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, ACT at admission was not significantly associated with a lower risk of embolism in patients with IE. Conclusions. The role of ACT in the prevention of embolism was limited in IE patients undergoing antibiotic therapy, although it seems to reduce the embolic potential of septic vegetation before treatment.

Anti-thrombotic therapy in infective endocarditis

Despite advances in medical and surgical treatment, infective endocarditis (IE) still carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality. One of the determinants of an adverse outcome is the presence of systemic embolization and in particular, of CNS embolization. IE vegetations consist of bacteria, platelets and inflammatory cells in a fibrin mesh. The interactions between pathogens, platelets and the coagulation system are critical to vegetation initiation and growth. This understanding has led to the study of the effect of anti-thrombotic treatment on IE vegetation formation and embolization. Although it has been demonstrated that antiplatelet and anticoagulant strategies have an impact on in vitro and animal models of IE, results from the available clinical studies are conflicting. In this article, we provide an overview of the available experimental and clinical data on anti-thrombotic treatment in IE and summarize the current guidelines. An early diagnosis, prompt empiric antibiotic treatment and a careful selection of patients who benefit from early surgical intervention remain essential in the prevention of embolic complications. In patients who have other indications for antiplatelet or anticoagulant treatment, the continuation of this treatment is deemed safe in the absence of hemorrhagic complications.