Objective: Extensive infective endocarditis (EIE) involving the valve annulus or the intervalvular fibrous body (IFB) is a treatment challenge. We sought to clarify the outcomes of patients undergoing surgery for EIE.
Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all 197 consecutive patients who underwent an operation for infective endocarditis (IE) between 2005 and 2016 in the Helsinki University Hospital. Thirty-five (18%) patients had EIE, of which 17 (9%) infection extended to IFB.
Results: Patients with EIE had higher EuroSCORE II (24.4% vs. 12.4% p < .001), higher frequency of diabetes (29% vs. 13% p = .017), more often NYHA Class IV (83% vs. 56% p = .02), aortic (97% vs. 45% p < .001), multivalve (40% vs. 11% p < .001), and prosthetic valve IE (37% vs. 9% p < .001), and underwent more often emergency surgery (46% vs. 29% p = .042). Thirty-day mortality was 9% in the EIE group and 7% in the non-EIE group (p = .720). Survival of patients with EIE at 5 years was 60% and with non-EIE 71% (p = .029). The frequency of complications was higher in EIE (54%) than in non-EIE patients (25%) (p < .001), due to the higher need for permanent pacemaker implantations (34% vs. 4% p < .001). Freedom from re-operations at 5 years was 91% in the EIE group and 97% in the non-EIE group (p = .203).
Conclusions: Early mortality of surgery for EIE was comparable with non-EIE. Midterm survival was lower after surgery for EIE than after surgery for non-EIE but there was no difference in survival of patients with IE limited to the valve annulus amenable to patch repair and patients with endocarditis requiring IFB reconstruction.
Keywords: endocarditis; valve repair/replacement.
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