An epidemiological study to define the recent clinical characteristics and outcomes of infective endocarditis in southern Turkey

Introduction: The aim of this study was to characterise the recent features of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) at one referral centre in southern Turkey, in order to be able to identify the high-risk subgroup and revise preventative measures and management strategies. Methods: Medical records of patients 18 years and older, who had been diagnosed with IE according to the Duke criteria between January 2009 and October 2019, were retrospectively evaluated in a referral general hospital. Results: The total of 139 IE cases comprised 59.7% males and 40.3% females, with a mean age of 55 +/- 16 years. The most encountered symptom was fever (55.4%) and the mitral valve (54%) was the most frequently involved. The most common causative micro-organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci (30.2%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 30.2%, with congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease and chronic dialysis found to be significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: The study results demonstrate the recent epidemiological features of IE in southern Turkey that are important for clinicians to manage diagnostic and therapeutic processes successfully. Older age, the predominance of staphylococci and higher surgery rates are consistent with the changing trends of IE in some parts the world.