title: [Profile of patients with infective endocarditis admitted to a Chilean regional hospital].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mortality due to infective endocarditis (IE) in Chile is close to 30%.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To report the experience with patients admitted with the diagnosis of IE in a regional tertiary hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study of 107 patients aged 50 ± 16 years (75% males) discharged with a definitive diagnosis of IE according to modified DUKE criteria, between years 2003 and 2010. Demographic variables, severity scores, clinical characteristics, bacteriology and hospital evolution were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty nine percent of patients had concomitant cardiovascular problems. APACHE II and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores on admission were 8.4 ± 4.7 and 2.7 ± 2.8 respectively. Native valves were affected in 91% of cases (aortic and mitral valves in 62% and 50% of cases respectively). Prosthetic valves were affected in 9.3% of cases. Rheumatic heart disease was the predominant primary lesion in 10% of patients. Antibiotics were used in 45.1% before blood cultures were performed. In 68% of patients blood cultures were positive. S. viridans (30.8%), S.aureus (18.6%) and coagulase negative Streptococci (5.6%) were the identified microorganisms. Intensive care unit admission was required in 48% of patients. Renal, heart and neurological deterioration was observed in 53, 34 and 14% of patients, respectively. Twenty percent of patients developed systemic embolism and 37% required heart surgery. Mean hospital stay was 28.3 ± 19.1 days and 27% of patients died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this series of patients, IE has a high mortality. Most patients studied were admitted in bad conditions.
authors.affiliation: Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
authors.forename: Benjamín
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Stockins
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Neira
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Andrés
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Troncoso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013290:Streptococcal Infections; D034363:Viridans Streptococci / Q000302:isolation & purification