Clinical and Microbiological Characteristics of Infective Endocarditis at a Cardiac Center in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Infective endocarditis (IE) is a serious disease with complex pathology and significant mortality. Little information is known regarding clinical and microbiological characteristics in Saudi Arabia. This study surveyed these characteristics at a Cardiac Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia over a period of 5 years. METHODS: This retrospective study was done on all infective endocarditis (IE) patients admitted to Prince Sultan Cardiac Center between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019. Clinical characteristics, microbiological results, management, and outcomes were assessed. RESULT: A total of 340 cases of infective endocarditis were identified over the study period. Most patients (64%) were 50 years old or above, and 67% were males. Fever was the most common clinical presentation, and a murmur was audible in a fifth of patients. Blood cultures were positive in 177 (52%) cases. The most common organisms were Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative Staphylococcus and viridans group Streptococcus. Most common microbiological organisms causing native valve endocarditis were viridans group Streptococcus (32%) followed by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (21%), and for prosthetic valve endocarditis they were coagulase negative Staphylococcus (32%) followed by methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (23%), the most common causes of culture negative endocarditis were Q-fever and brucellosis. Predisposing cardiac conditions were present in 127 (37%) patients, most commonly rheumatic heart disease and congenital heart disease. Surgical intervention was done in 26% of cases, with an overall in-hospital mortality rate of 6.76%. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate the epidemiological, clinical, and microbiological profile of infective endocarditis in a tertiary care cardiac center in Saudi Arabia. It gives information concerning the prevalence of responsible organisms. This information will be helpful in assessing patients with suspected IE and in planning management of cases knowing the relative frequency of types of microorganisms encountered.