title: Antibiotic pretreatment of heart valve prostheses to prevent early prosthetic valve endocarditis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE), a rare but major complication after heart valve replacement surgery, has potentially catastrophic consequences despite maximal treatment. Thus, preventive measures are essential. The study aim was to investigate the effect of pretreating heart valve prostheses with the antibiotics baneomycin and daptomycin, with and without surgical sealant fibrin glue as a drug-releasing substance. The biocompatibility of baneocin and daptomycin was also investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of polyethylene terephthalate (PTE), as used for the sewing cuffs of prosthetic heart valves, were tested; untreated samples served as controls. All samples were contaminated with Staphylococcus epidermidis, and colony-forming units (CFUs) then counted. Cytotoxicity tests were performed using the MTT-assay to evaluate the effects of baneomycin and daptomycin on cell proliferation and wound healing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Untreated and fibrin glue-coated samples were directly infected with a bacterial count of 2.82 +/- 0.63 x 10(5) CFU/ml and 2.80 +/- 1.07 x 10(5) CFU/ml, on average. Baneocin-impregnated samples were sterile for 1.9 +/- 0.38 days, with a subsequent bacterial count of 2.26 +/- 0.6 x 10(5) CFU/ml, while daptomycin-impregnated samples were sterile for 2.9 +/- 0.38 days, with a subsequent bacterial count of 1.81 +/- 0.53 x 10(5) CFU/ml. Samples coated with a fibrin glue-baneocin mixture were sterile for 3.14 +/- 0.38 days, after which the bacterial count was 0.74 +/- 0.47 x 10(5) CFU/ml. After coating with a fibrin glue-daptomycin mixture, samples were sterile for 7.0 +/- 0.58 days, and the bacterial count was 0.70 +/- 0.56 x 10(5) CFU/ml.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this in-vitro study, the pretreatment of prosthetic heart valves with antibiotics reduced the risk of bacterial adhesion and consequent infection. The combination of antibiotics with fibrin glue prolonged this preventive effect, with baneocin demonstrating a better biocompatibility than daptomycin. On the basis of its antibacterial efficacy, daptomycin appears to be a more suitable antibiotic to prevent early PVE with Gram-positive bacteria. The soaking of prosthetic heart valves in antibiotic solutions prior to implantation, in combination with fibrin glue in cases of suspected endocarditis, can prevent the development of early PVE. This preventive strategy should be investigated for use as a standard procedure in clinical practice.
authors: Department of Thoracic, Transplant and Cardiovascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors: Bakr
authors: B
authors: Mashaqi
authors: Georg
authors: G
authors: Marsch
authors: Malakh
authors: M
authors: Shrestha
authors: Karolin
authors: K
authors: Graf
authors: Meike
authors: M
authors: Stiesch
authors: Iris F
authors: IF
authors: Chaberny
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Haverich
authors: Christian
authors: C
authors: Kuehn
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D001414:Bacitracin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D017576:Daptomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000187:drug effects; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis; D013234:Stem Cells
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001414:Bacitracin; D017576:Daptomycin