Introduction: In this study we evaluated factors that affect the early and long-term postoperative outcomes of patients with infective endocarditis.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 94 patients (68 male, 26 female, mean age 58.3 ± 13.1 years, range 20-85 years) with proven infective native (n=85) or prosthetic valve (n=9) endocarditis who underwent heart valve surgery between September 1997 and December 2007. Fifty-four patients (57.4%) underwent aortic, 28 (29.8%) mitral, 3 (3.2%) tricuspid, 8 (8.5%) double, and one patient (1%) triple valve surgery. In 75.5% of the procedures we implanted mechanical valves, in 13.8% biological prostheses, and 10.7% were reconstructive or other procedures. Midterm follow up was 100% complete with a cumulative duration of 545 patient-years (maximum 12 years).
Results: Overall hospital mortality (30 days) was 8.5% (n=8). Causes of early mortality were low cardiac output syndrome in 2 cases, sepsis with multiple organ failure in 5 cases, and intracerebral bleeding in one patient. Development of postoperative low cardiac output syndrome (p=0.01) was identified as an independent predictor of early mortality. Overall late mortality was 25.6% (n=22) with a cumulative rate of 4.03% per patient-year. Causes of late death were predominantly of extracardiac origin. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed a cumulative survival rate at 12 years of 57.2%. Cox regression analysis identified diabetes mellitus (p=0.016) and postoperative low cardiac output syndrome (p=0.03) as independent late mortality factors.
Conclusions: Heart valve surgery in patients with infective endocarditis is associated with increased but acceptable early and long-term mortality. The mid-term prognosis is similar to that of patients undergoing elective valve replacement surgery.