Infective Endocarditis as a Cause of Critical Illness, In-hospital Mortality, and Complications

BACKGROUND: Critical illness due to infective endocarditis (IE) has high in-hospital mortality. Besides being a cause of sepsis, this disease has the potential nature to affect multiple organs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data for 84 patients managed at the critical care medicine unit at Cairo University for 7 years were surveyed for IE using modified Dukes criteria. Among the patient group with a verified diagnosis of IE, patient characteristics (age and comorbidities), the grade of diagnosis, the blood culture result, echocardiographic findings, minor diagnostic signs (fever, presence of prosthetic valves and pacemaker, vascular phenomena, immunologic phenomena) and clinical complications (heart failure, septic shock, neurologic complications renal failure) were studied regarding their association to in-hospital mortality. Incidence of clinical complications was compared to the control group with sepsis due to other causes. RESULTS: The mortality rate in the IE group is 18.8%. Factors showing significant association to in-hospital mortality are; septic shock p = 0.01, neurological complications p = 0.025 (especially cerebral hemorrhage p = 0.025), indicated non-performed surgery p = 0.008, and presence of underlying heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), p = 0.002. Incidence of clinical complications showed no significant difference in IE patients and patients with other causes of sepsis except heart failure which showed significantly increased incidence in the IE group, p = 0.004. CONCLUSION: Septic shock, neurological complications, indicated nonperformed surgery, and presence of underlying HFrEF are in-hospital mortality risk factors in critically ill patients due to IE. In-hospital mortality and clinical complication incidence (except heart failure) are similar to other causes of sepsis. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Ayad RD, Andraos AW, Taema KAE, Attia IM, Yehia M. Infective Endocarditis as a Cause of Critical Illness, In-hospital Mortality, and Complications. Indian J Crit Care Med 2022;26(8):930–934.