Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Infective Endocarditis at three Tertiary Centers in Brazil from 2003 to 2017

Abstract

With improved resources for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infective endocarditis (IE), significant changes in the characteristics of the disease have been reported over time. If, on the one hand, the prevalence of IE due to rheumatic valve disease has decreased, on the other, there has been an increase in IE related to degenerative valve disease in older adults, valve replacement surgery, the implantation of intracardiac devices, and the use of injectables and hemodialysis.Coincidentally, IE cases due to Staphylococcus spp. have surpassed those of Streptococcus spp., and cases due to atypical microorganisms have also increased. 1,2 This microbiological change is attributed to medical progress and the resulting increase in invasive procedures. 3,4 Despite efforts to the contrary, IE is still considered a condition with persistently high morbimortality,