Relapse of Medically Treated Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Is Uncommon

Among 129 medically treated patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) who survived for at least 6 weeks, relapse occurred in only 5% and mortality at 12 months was 24%.

Compared with native valve endocarditis (NVE), treatment of prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) more often involves combinations of antimicrobials and relatively long antibiotic courses (NEJM JW Infect Dis Dec 2015 and Circulation 2015; 132:1435). However, indications for surgery are similar between PVE and NVE. Although higher PVE relapse rates might be expected in the absence of operative treatment to remove the foreign body and debride infected areas, relapse rates after medical treatment alone are not well described.

Now, investigators report the outcomes in 129 patients with PVE treated with antibiotics alone who survived for at least 6 weeks. Only 3 patients (2.3%) were injection drug users (IDUs), and 84 (65.1%) had a bioprosthetic ra…

Reviewing Author

Daniel Kaul, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNobelpharma; Pfizer

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Transplantation (Program Committee)

Daniel Kaul, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNobelpharma; Pfizer

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Transplantation (Program Committee)

Relapse of Medically Treated Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Is Uncommon

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Reviewing Author