Bacteraemia with gram-positive bacteria-when and how do I need to look for endocarditis?

Magnus Rasmussen; Patrik Gilje; Erika Fagman; Andreas Berge

doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2023.08.027

Bacteraemia with gram-positive bacteria-when and how do I need to look for endocarditis?

Clin Microbiol Infect. 2024 Mar;30(3):306-311. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.08.027. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Authors

Magnus Rasmussen¹, Patrik Gilje², Erika Fagman³, Andreas Berge⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Division of Infection Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden; Department for Infectious Diseases, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. Electronic address: Magnus.Rasmussen@med.lu.se.
² Department of Cardiology, Clinical Sciences, Lund University and Skane University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
³ Department of Radiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Radiology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
⁴ Unit of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

PMID: 37659693
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.08.027

Abstract

Background: Patients with bacteraemia caused by gram-positive bacteria are at risk for infective endocarditis (IE). Because IE needs long antibiotic treatment and sometimes heart valve surgery, it is very important to identify patients with IE.

Objectives: In this narrative review we present and discuss how to determine which investigations to detect IE that are needed in individual patients with gram-positive bacteraemia.

Sources: Published original studies and previous reviews in English, within the relevant field are used.

Content: First, the different qualities of the bacteraemia in relation to IE risk are discussed. The risk for IE in bacteraemia is related to the species of the bacterium but also to monomicrobial bacteraemia and the number of positive cultures. Second, patient-related factors for IE risk in bacteraemia are presented. Next, the risk stratification systems to determine the risk for IE in gram-positive bacteraemia caused by Staphylococcus aureus, viridans streptococci, and Enterococcus faecalis are presented and their use is discussed. In the last part of the review, an account for the different modalities of IE-investigations is given. The main focus is on echocardiography, which is the cornerstone of IE-investigations. Furthermore, ¹⁸F-fluorodesoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography and cardiac computed tomography are presented and their use is also discussed. A brief account for investigations used to identify embolic phenomena in IE is also given. Finally, we present a flowchart suggesting which investigations to perform in relation to IE in patients with gram-positive bacteraemia.

Implications: For the individual patient as well as the healthcare system, it is important both to diagnose IE and to decide when to stop looking for IE. This review might be helpful in finding that balance.

Keywords: Echocardiography; Endocarditis; Enterococcus faecalis; Staphylococcus aureus; Viridans streptococci.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Bacteremia* / diagnosis
Bacteremia* / microbiology
Endocarditis*
Endocarditis, Bacterial* / diagnosis
Endocarditis, Bacterial* / microbiology
Humans
Staphylococcal Infections* / microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus