Effect of the type of surgical indication on mortality in patients with infective endocarditis who are rejected for surgical intervention.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of the type of surgical indication on mortality in infective endocarditis (IE) patients who are rejected for surgery.

Methods And Results: From January 2008 to December 2016, 2714 patients with definite left-sided IE were attended in the participating hospitals. One thousand six hundred and fifty-three patients (60.9%) presented surgical indications. Five hundred and thirty-eight patients (32.5%) presented surgical indications but received medical treatment alone. The indications for surgery in these patients were uncontrolled infection (366 patients, 68%), heart failure (168 patients, 31.3%) and prevention of embolism (148 patients, 27.6%). One hundred and thirty patients (24.2%) presented more than one indication. The mortality during hospital admission was 60% (323 patients). The in-hospital mortality of patients whose indication for surgery was heart failure, uncontrolled infection or risk of embolism was 75.6%, 61.4% and 54.7%, respectively (p < 0.001). Surgical indications due to heart failure (OR: 3.24; CI 95%: 1.99-5.9) or uncontrolled infection (OR: 1.83; CI 95%: 1.04-3.18) were independently associated with a fatal outcome during hospital admission. Mortality during the first year was 75.4%. The mortality during the first year in patients whose indication for surgery was heart failure, uncontrolled infection or risk of embolism was 85.9%, 76.7% and 72.7%, respectively (p = 0.016). Surgical indication due to heart failure (OR: 3.03; CI 95%: 1.53-5.98) were independently associated with fatal outcome during the first year.

Conclusions: The type of surgical indication is associated with mortality in IE patients who are rejected for surgical intervention.