Aims The EURO-ENDO registry aimed to study the management and outcomes of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Methods and results Prospective cohort of 3116 adult patients (2470 from Europe, 646 from non-ESC countries), admitted to 156 hospitals in 40 countries between January 2016 and March 2018 with a diagnosis of IE based on ESC 2015 diagnostic criteria. Clinical, biological, microbiological, and imaging [echocardiography, computed tomography (CT) scan, 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT)] data were collected. Infective endocarditis was native (NVE) in 1764 (56.6%) patients, prosthetic (PVIE) in 939 (30.1%), and device-related (CDRIE) in 308 (9.9%). Infective endocarditis was community-acquired in 2046 (65.66%) patients. Microorganisms involved were staphylococci in 1085 (44.1%) patients, oral streptococci in 304 (12.3%), enterococci in 390 (15.8%), and Streptococcus gallolyticus in 162 (6.6%). 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography was performed in 518 (16.6%) patients and presented with cardiac uptake (major criterion) in 222 (42.9%) patients, with a better sensitivity in PVIE (66.8%) than in NVE (28.0%) and CDRIE (16.3%). Embolic events occurred in 20.6% of patients, and were significantly associated with tricuspid or pulmonary IE, presence of a vegetation and Staphylococcus aureus IE. According to ESC guidelines, cardiac surgery was indicated in 2160 (69.3%) patients, but finally performed in only 1596 (73.9%) of them. In-hospital death occurred in 532 (17.1%) patients and was more frequent in PVIE. Independent predictors of mortality were Charlson index, creatinine > 2 mg/dL, congestive heart failure, vegetation length > 10 mm, cerebral complications, abscess, and failure to undertake surgery when indicated. Conclusion Infective endocarditis is still a life-threatening disease with frequent lethal outcome despite profound changes in its clinical, microbiological, imaging, and therapeutic profiles.

The aim of this study was to investigate pretreatment prognostic factors that could be useful in predicting the response to plasma exchange in thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP/HUS). Thirty-two patients with TTP/HUS, treated with plasma exchange at our institution from 1980 to 1994, were studied. The main clinical and laboratory data at the beginning of plasma exchanges were analyzed by the Cox stepwise logistic regression, applied to either treatment failure or death. Seventeen (53%) patients attained a complete remission and 22 (69%) survived (five in advanced renal failure and long-term hemodialysis). Longer delay in initiating plasma exchanges, presence of stupor or coma, and higher creatinine levels at the beginning of plasma exchanges were independent predictors of treatment failure. Stupor or coma at the beginning of plasma exchanges was the only predictor of mortality from unremitted TTP/HUS. Hemoglobin levels, platelet count, and LDH activity, traditionally envisaged as markers of disease activity, neither correlated with previous duration of TTP/HUS nor had any prognostic value. Early diagnosis of TTP/HUS and prompt initiation of intensive plasma exchange emerged from this study as the most effective interventions for improving the prognosis of TTP/HUS patients.

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