[Endocarditis team in the Scania region - experiences from the first year]

Lakartidningen. 2019 Jun 14:116:FL36.
[Article in Swedish]

Abstract

International guidelines recommend that the treatment of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) should be directed by a multidisciplinary endocarditis team. The aim of this study was to describe the first-year experience of multidisciplinary rounds by the endocarditis team in Scania, Sweden. This was a retrospective study on all possible and definitive IE episodes that were assessed by the endocarditis team from January 1st to December 31st, 2017. Descriptive statistics were used. A total of 145 multidisciplinary rounds were held and addressed 100 episodes in 97 patients. The median age was 71 years and 66% were males. The most common causative pathogens were alpha-hemolytic streptococci, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and enterococci. The endocarditis team recommended surgery in 40 % of episodes. The transfer of patients between different hospitals was facilitated by the team. The IE team evaluated a large proportion of patients with IE in the region and provided a rapid expert opinion on the optimal management of complicated cases of IE.

Publication types

  • Observational Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Endocarditis* / diagnosis
  • Endocarditis* / epidemiology
  • Endocarditis* / microbiology
  • Endocarditis* / therapy
  • Enterococcus faecalis / isolation & purification
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Staphylococcus / isolation & purification
  • Streptococcus / isolation & purification
  • Sweden / epidemiology