Early surgical intervention for infective endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis remains a serious and complex disease with significant morbidity and mortality. Sixty cases of infective endocarditis were retrospectively reviewed, consisting of 41 males and 19 females aged 7 to 50 years (mean, 30 years). Congenital heart disease was diagnosed in 19 of the patients and rheumatic heart disease in 41. Congestive heart failure occurred in 36 and systemic embolism in 8 cases. Blood cultures were positive in only 21.7% of the cases, while vegetations were detected by 2-dimensional echocardiography in 70%. Elective surgery was performed in 57 patients and emergent operation for systemic arterial embolization and/or intractable congestive heart failure in 3 patients. Two patients required reoperation for postoperative bleeding. All but 2 patients had been followed up for 6 to 160 months with no evidence of reinfection. Three patients with mechanical valve implantation later died of intracranial bleeding due to over-anticoagulation. The remaining 55 resumed normal activity. The encouraging outcomes were the result of an aggressive diagnostic approach and early surgical intervention.