[Infectious endocarditis in the intensive care unit].

OBJECTIVE To study the characteristics, evolution and prognosis of patients with infectious endocarditis requiring treatment in the Intensive Care Unit. DESIGN A prospective, observational cohort study of patients admitted due to infectious endocarditis. SETTING Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, a third - level center with a recruitment population of 493,145. PATIENTS All patients consecutively diagnosed with infectious endocarditis in our center according to the Duke criteria, between 1 January 2005 and 31 July 2011. STUDY VARIABLES Demographic data, clinical severity scores, microbiological and echocardiographic data, hospital mortality and complications. RESULTS Out of 102 patients diagnosed with endocarditis, 38 (37%) were admitted to Intensive Care. Compared with those patients not admitted to the ICU, these subjects suffered more frequent mitral valve alterations (OR= 7.13; 95%CI: 2.12-24; p= 0.002) and cerebral embolism (OR= 3.89; 95%CI: 1.06-14.3; p= 0.041). In turn, mortality was greater (42.1% vs 18.8%, p= 0.011), as was the proportion of emergency surgeries (45.8% vs 5.9%, p<0.001). The identified mortality predictors were Staphylococcus aureus infection (OR= 3.49; 95%CI 1.02-11.93; p=0.046), heart failure (OR=4.18; 95%CI: 1.17-14.94; p=0.028), cerebral embolism (OR= 8.45; 95%CI: 1.89-37.74; p=0.005) and the SAPS II upon admission (OR=1.09; 95%CI: 1.04-1.15; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS A large proportion of patients with endocarditis require admission to the Intensive Care Unit, presenting a much poorer prognosis. Staphylococcus aureus infection, heart failure, cerebral embolism and SAPS II scores are independent predictors of hospital mortality.