Comparative Evaluation of Cases with Community-Acquired Infective Endocarditis and Health Care-Associated Infective Endocarditis

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to comparatively evaluate the cases with health care-associated infective endocarditis and the cases with community-acquired infective endocarditis.

Material and Methods: Of the cases followed for infective endocarditis (IE), 21 (40 %) had health care-associated infective endocarditis and 31 (60 %) community-acquired infective endocarditis.

Results: Comparing the cases with community acquired infective endocarditis and the cases with health care-associated infective endocarditis, it was determined that advanced age (58.0 +/- 15.1 years vs. 41.3 +/- 14.4 years, P=0.000), presence of chronic renal insufficiency (P=0.001) and diabetes mellitus (P=0.016) as concomitant diseases, being previously hospitalized (P=0.0001), hemodialysis in terms of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions (P=0.022), presence of central venous catheter (P=0.022), and undergone intervention for gastrointestinal system (P=0.060), as well as laboratory results including positive blood culture growth for S. aureus and Enterococcus (P=0.037), and complications such as development of embolic event (P=0.008), spondylodiscitis (P=0.034) and stroke (P=0.007) were statistically significantly more common in health care-associated infective endocarditis cases. Whilst mortality was higher in health care-associated infective endocarditis cases (28.6 %), it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the groups.

Conclusion: Health care-associated infective endocarditis is a disease that is more common in the patients at advanced age, with concomitant disease and the history of exposing invasive procedures in the past for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose, and it is a disease with high morbidity and mortality that courses with serious complications.