Epidemiologic, clinical, and microbiologic profile of infective endocarditis in Argentina: a national survey. The Endocarditis Infecciosa en la República Argentina-2 (EIRA-2) Study.

Background: This study aimed to determine the epidemiologic, clinical, microbiologic characteristics, and inhospital outcome of infective endocarditis (IE) in Argentina and compare the results with those of the 1992 IE national survey.

Methods: A prospective, multicenter study was conducted in 82 hospitals representing 16 of 24 provinces of Argentina. Patients with diagnosis of IE according to the Duke criteria were surveyed during an 18-month period.