Key Points Question In first-episode infective endocarditis in persons who inject drugs, what are the clinical differences between patients who receive surgery vs those who are medically treated, and which factors are associated with mortality? Findings In this case series of 370 first-episode cases of infective endocarditis, the main significant differences between persons who inject drugs who received surgery and those who did not were the site of infection and cardiac complications. Decreased mortality was associated with surgery and referral to addiction treatment services, while higher mortality was associated with left-sided and bilateral infections. Meaning In selected persons who inject drugs with first-episode endocarditis, surgical management and referral to addiction treatment were associated with reduced mortality.

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is increasing among persons who inject drugs (PWID) and has high morbidity and mortality. Recurrent IE in PWID is not well described. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study conducted between February 2007 and March 2016. It included adult inpatients (≥18) at any of 3 tertiary care centers in London, Ontario, with definite IE based on the Modified Duke's Criteria. The objectives were to characterize recurrent IE in PWID, identify risk factors for recurrent IE, identify the frequency of fungal endocarditis, and establish whether fungal infection was associated with higher mortality. Results Three hundred ninety patients had endocarditis, with 212/390 in PWID. Sixty-eight of 212 (32%) PWID had a second episode, with 28/212 (12%) having additional recurrences. Second-episode IE was more common in PWID (11/178 [6.2%] vs 68/212 [32.1%]; P < .001). Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) line abuse was associated with increased risk of recurrent endocarditis (odds ratio [OR], 1.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–3.87; P = .04). In PWID, fungal IE was more common in second episodes than first episodes (1/212 [0.5%] vs 5/68 [7.4%]; P = .004). Additionally, fungal infections were associated with mortality in second-episode IE in PWID with an adjusted OR of 16.49 (95% CI, 1.12–243.17; P = .041). Despite recurrent infection, likely due to continued drug use, there was a low rate of referral to addiction treatment (14/68 [20.6%]). Conclusions PWID have a high risk of recurrent endocarditis, particularly in patients who abuse PICC lines. Fungal endocarditis is more common in second-episode endocarditis and is associated with increased mortality. Consideration of empiric antifungal therapy in PWID with IE history and suspected IE should be considered.

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BackgroundPersons who inject drugs (PWID) represent a distinct demographic of patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Many centers do not perform valvular surgery on these patients due to concerns about poor outcomes.MethodsRetrospective cohort study comparing PWID patients to non-PWID patients presenting between February 2007 and March 2016 in London, Ontario, among adult (>18) inpatients with first episode IE.ResultsIn 370 first episode IE cases, 53.9% occurred in PWIDs. PWID patients were younger (35.4 SD 10.0 vs. 59.4 SD 14.9) (P < 0.001), more likely to have right-sided infection [125/202 (62%), vs. 16/168 (9.5%) (P < 0.001)], and more often due to S. aureus (156/202 (77.3%) vs. 54/168 (32.1%), P < 0.001). Myocardial and aortic root abscesses were less common in PWIDs [17/202 (8.4%) vs. 50/168 (30%) (P < 0.01)]. There was no difference in the frequency of noncardiac complications. In total, 36.5% of patients were treated surgically with PWID patients less likely to undergo surgery [39/202 (19.3%) vs. 98/168 (58%) P < 0.001]. Cox regression analysis identified the protective effect of cardiac surgery with regards to survival in all patients, with a hazard ratio of 0.49 (95% CI 0.31–0.76, P < 0.001), as well as among PWIDs (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.17–0.87, P = 0.02). Among all patients, lower survival was associated with older age (HR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00–1.05, P < 0.001), injection drug use (HR 2.72, 95% CI 1.52–4.88, P < 0.001), left-sided infection (HR 3.48, 95% CI 2.01–6.03, P < 0.001), and bilateral infection (HR 3.19, 95% CI 1.45–7.01, P = 0.004). The lower survival of left-sided infection (HR 4.01, 95% CI 1.97–8.18, P < 0.001) or bilateral infection (HR 6.94, 95% CI 2.39–20.2,P < 0.001) was re-demonstrated in PWIDs.ConclusionThis study identifies important clinical differences between PWIDs and nondrug users with respect to valve involvement, causative organism, complications, and management strategies. Our results highlight the important role of surgical treatment in a carefully selected PWID patient population.Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Background: Methadone titration in an outpatient setting typically involves initiation with subtherapeutic doses with slow titration to mitigate the risks of respiratory depression and overdose. In pregnancy, subtherapeutic doses of methadone and slow titrations are associated with poorer outcomes in terms of retreatment retention and ongoing illicit opioid use. We aim to describe rapid titration of OAT in an inpatient setting for pregnant injection opioid users with high opioid tolerance secondary to a fentanyl-based illicit drug supply. Methods: Retrospective case series of patients admitted to a tertiary center with a primary indication of opiate withdrawal and treatment for severe opioid use disorder in pregnancy. Results: Twelve women received rapid methadone titrations with or without slow-release oral morphine for opioid use disorder during a total of fifteen hospital admissions. All women included in the study were active fentanyl users (12/12). Methadone dosing was increased rapidly with no adverse events with a median dose at day 7 of 65mg (IQR 60-70mg) and median discharge dose of 85mg (IQR 70-92.5mg). Slow-release oral morphine was used in half of the titration admissions (8/15) with a median dose of 340mg (IQR 187.5-425mg) at discharge. The median length of admission was 12 days (IQR 9.5-15). Conclusions: A rapid titration of methadone was completed in an inpatient setting with or without slow-release oral morphine, without adverse events showing feasibility of this protocol for a pregnant population in an inpatient setting. Patients achieved therapeutic doses of methadone (and/or SROM) faster than outpatient counterparts with no adverse events.