Skip to main content

Emergency Management of Infective Endocarditis

  • Chapter
  • 1626 Accesses

Abstract

Cardiac surgery is required in more than 50% of patients with active infective endocarditis. Patients should be referred to an expert center for rapid evaluation. Surgical indication and timing have to be defined by an endocarditis team. Early surgery is beneficial not only in the absence of cerebral complications but also in patients with cerebral infarction without coma. Management of patients with intracranial hemorrhage remains very complex, but surgery may be performed within the first month after hemorrhagic stroke in selected patients if there is a strong indication for early surgery. The aim of surgery is (a) to eradicate the infection removing all the infected structures and materials, (b) to allow a bacteriological diagnosis, and (c) to perform an anatomical reconstruction of affected structures.

The use of foreign materials should be kept to a minimum, reducing the incidence of recurrent infection. Valve repair is preferable to valve replacement, and when a durable valve repair is not feasible, a tailored approach for each patient and the clinical situation should be recommended for the choice of the valve substitute.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Oliver L, Lepeule R, Moussafeur A, Fiore A, Lim P. Ternacle Early surgery in infective endocarditis: why should we wait? J Arch Cardiovasc Dis. 2016;109(12):651–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Vongpatanasin W, Hillis LD, Lange RA. Prosthetic heart valves. N Engl J Med. 1996;335:407–16.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Habib G, Thuny F, Avierinos JF. Prosthetic valve endocarditis: current approach and therapeutic options. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2008;50:274–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Habib G, Lancellotti P, Antunes MJ, et al. ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis: the Task Force for the Management of Infective Endocarditis of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS), the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM). Eur Heart J. 2015;36:3075–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Nishimura RA, Otto CM, Bonow RO, et al. 2014 AHA/ACC guideline for the management of patients with valvular heart disease: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on practice guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63:e57–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Durak DT, Lukes AS, Bright DK. New criteria for diagnosis of infective endocarditis: utilization of specific echocardiography finding. Duke Endocarditis Service. Am J Med. 1994;96:200–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. The 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis. Eur Heart J. 2015;36:3075–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurartj/ehv319.

  8. Iung B, Doco-Lecompte T, Chocron S, et al. Cardiac surgery during the acute phase of infective endocarditis: discrepancies between European Society of Cardiology guidelines and practices. Eur Heart J. 2016;37:840–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Stout KK, Verrier ED. Valvular heart disease: changing concepts in disease management. Circulation. 2009;119:3232–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Sanchez-Enrique C, Vilacosta I, Moreno HG, Delgado-Bolton R, Perez-Alonso P, Martinez A, Vivas D, Ferrera C, Olmos C. Infected marantic endocarditis with leukemoid reaction. Circ J. 2014;78:2325–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Yong MS, Saxena P, Killu AM, Coffey S, Burkart HM, Wan S-H, Malouf JF. The preoperative evaluation of infective endocarditis via 3-dimensional transesophageal echocardiography. Tex Heart Inst J. 2015;42:372–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Vrettou AR, Zacharoulis A, Lerakis S, Kremastinos DT. Revealing infective endocarditis complications by echocardiography: the value of real-time 3D transesophageal echocardiography. Hell J Cardiol. 2013;54(2):147–9.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Habib G, Badano L, Tribouilloy C, Vilacosta I, Zamorano JL, Galderisi M, Voigt JU, Sicari R, Cosyns B, Fox K, Aakhus S. Recommendations for the practice of echocardiography in infective endocarditis. Eur J Echocardiogr. 2010;11:202–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Feuchtner GM, Stolzmann P, Dichtl W, Schertler T, Bonatti J, Scheffel H, Mueller S, Plass A, Mueller L, Bartel T, Wolf F, Alkadhi H. Multislice computed tomography in infective endocarditis: comparison with transesophageal echocardiography and intraoperative findings. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53:436–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Frontera JA, Gradon JD. Right-side endocarditis in injection drug users: review of proposed mechanisms of pathogenesis. Clin Infect Dis. 2000;30:374–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Wilson LE, Thomas DL, Astemborski J, Freedman TL, Vlahov D. Prospective study of infective endocarditis among injection drug users. J Infect Dis. 2002;185:1761–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Kang DH. Timing of surgery in infective endocarditis. Heart. 2015;101(22):1786–91.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Delahaye F. Is early surgery beneficial in infective endocarditis? A systematic review. Arch Cardiovasc Dis. 2011;104:35–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Thuny F, Beurtheret S, Mancini J, et al. The timing of surgery influences mortality and morbidity in adults with severe complicated infective endocarditis: a propensity analysis. Eur Heart J. 2011;32:2027–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Lalani T, Cabell CH, Benjamin DK, et al. Analysis of the impact of early surgery on in-hospital mortality of native valve endocarditis: use of propensity score and instrumental variable methods to adjust for treatment-selection bias. Circulation. 2010;121:1005–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Anantha Narayanan M, Mahfood Haddad T, Kalil AC, et al. Early versus late surgical intervention or medical management for infective endocarditis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart. 2016;102:950–7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Grande AM, Amoroso F, Crimi G, Ferrario M, Mazzola A. Mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa pseudoaneurysm causing systolic compression of left main trunk. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017;103:e461.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Chesler E, Korns ME, Porter GE, Reyes CN, Edwards JE. False aneurysm of the left ventricle secondary to bacterial endocarditis with perforation of the mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa. Circulation. 1968;37:518–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Moorthy N, Kumar S, Tewari S, et al. Mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa aneurysm with rupture into left atrium: an uncommon cause of acute dyspnea. Heart Views. 2012;13:13–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Ihdayhid AR, Asrar UI, Hag M, Dembo L, Yong G. Simultaneous coronary and pulmonary angiography to diagnose critical left main coronary artery stenosis secondary to dilated pulmonary artery. JACC Cardiovascular Interv. 2016;9(11):1193–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Dahya VJ, Chalasani P. Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm causing extrinsic compression of the left main coronary artery. JACC Cardiovascular Interv. 2015;8(6):e99–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Kim HW, Chung CH. Mitral-aortic intervalvular fibrosa pseudoaneurysm resulting in the displacement of the left main coronary artery after aortic valve replacement. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2010;139:e18–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonino M. Grande .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Fiore, A., Mazzola, A., Grande, A.M. (2019). Emergency Management of Infective Endocarditis. In: Aseni, P., De Carlis, L., Mazzola, A., Grande, A.M. (eds) Operative Techniques and Recent Advances in Acute Care and Emergency Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95114-0_39

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95114-0_39

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95113-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95114-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics