Prognostic assessment of valvular surgery in active infective endocarditis: multicentric nationwide validation of a new score developed from a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Several risk prediction models have been developed to estimate the risk of mortality after valve surgery for active infective endocarditis (IE), but few external validations have been conducted to assess their accuracy. We previously developed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of IE-specific factors for the in-hospital mortality rate after IE valve surgery, whose obtained pooled estimations were the basis for the development of a new score (APORTEI). The aim of the present study was to assess its prognostic accuracy in a nationwide cohort. METHODS: We analysed the prognostic utility of the APORTEI score using patient-level data from a multicentric national cohort. Patients who underwent surgery for active IE between 2008 and 2018 were included. Discrimination was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, and the calibration was assessed using the calibration slope and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. Agreement between the APORTEI and the EuroSCORE I was also analysed by Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), the Bland-Altman agreement analysis and a scatterplot graph. RESULTS: The 11 variables that comprised the APORTEI score were analysed in the sample. The APORTEI score was calculated in 1338 patients. The overall observed surgical mortality rate was 25.56%. The score demonstrated adequate discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.75; 95% confidence interval 0.72-0.77) and calibration (calibration slope = 1.03; Hosmer-Lemeshow test P = 0.389). We found a lack of agreement between the APORTEI and EuroSCORE I (concordance correlation coefficient = 0.55). CONCLUSIONS: The APORTEI score, developed from a systematic review and meta-analysis, showed an adequate estimation of the risk of mortality after IE valve surgery in a nationwide cohort.

Correction to: Prognostic factors of mortality after surgery in infective endocarditis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake.

Prognostic factors of mortality after surgery in infective endocarditis: systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: There is a lack of consensus about which endocarditis-specific preoperative characteristics have an actual impact over postoperative mortality. Our objective was the identification and quantification of these factors. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of all the studies which reported factors related to in-hospital mortality after surgery for acute infective endocarditis, conducted according to PRISMA recommendations. A search string was constructed and applied on three different databases. Two investigators independently reviewed the retrieved references. Quality assessment was performed for identification of potential biases. All the variables that were included in at least two validated risk scores were meta-analyzed independently, and the pooled estimates were expressed as odds ratios (OR) with their confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: The final sample consisted on 16 studies, comprising a total of 7484 patients. The overall pooled OR were statistically significant (p < 0.05) for: age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.00-1.05), female sex (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.35-1.81), urgent or emergency surgery (OR 2.39 95% CI 1.91-3.00), previous cardiac surgery (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.84-2.61), NYHA ≥ III (OR 1.84, 95% CI 1.33-2.55), cardiogenic shock (OR 4.15, 95% CI 3.06-5.64), prosthetic valve (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.68-2.33), multivalvular affection (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.01-1.82), renal failure (OR 2.57, 95% CI 2.15-3.06), paravalvular abscess (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.77-3.22) and S. aureus infection (OR 2.27, 95% CI 1.89-2.73). CONCLUSIONS: After a systematic review, we identified 11 preoperative factors related to an increased postoperative mortality. The meta-analysis of each of these factors showed a significant association with an increased in-hospital mortality after surgery for active infective endocarditis. Graph summary of the Pooled Odds Ratios of the 11 preoperative factors analyzed after the systematic review and meta-analysis.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis mimicking tuberculosis: Importance of the galaxy sign on thoracic computed tomography. / Sarcoidosis pulmonar simulando una tuberculosis: importancia del signo de la galaxia en TC de tórax.

Sarcoidosis and tuberculosis are two common granulomatous conditions that may share clinical and radiological presentations. The galaxy sign (sarcoid galaxy sign) is a characteristic radiological sign of pulmonary sarcoidosis on thoracic computed tomography (CT). We present the case of a patient with sarcoidosis that was initially misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, in whom the galaxy sign on CT was useful as it suggested the correct diagnosis.

Long-term prognosis after surgery for infective endocarditis: Distinction between predictors of early and late survival.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac surgery is a life-saving procedure in patients diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE). There are several validated risk scores developed to predict early-mortality; nevertheless, long-term survival has been less investigated. The aim of the present study is to analyze the impact of IE-specific risk factors for early and long-term mortality. METHODS: An observational retrospective study was conducted that included all patients who underwent surgery for IE from 2002 to 2016. Median follow-up time after surgery was 53.2 months (IQI 26.2-106.8 months). In-hospital mortality was analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Long-term survival was analyzed after one, two and five years. Cox proportional hazards regression was employed to identify risk factors related to long-term mortality. RESULTS: Of the 180 patients underwent cardiac surgery, 133 were discharged alive (in-hospital mortality was 26.11%). 6 variables were identified as independent factors associated with in-hospital mortality, most of them closely related to the severity of IE: age, multivalvular involvement, critical preoperative status, preoperative mechanical ventilation, abscess and thrombocytopenia. Long-term survival in patients discharged alive was 89.1%, 87.4% and 77.6% after one, two and five years. Long-term mortality was independent of specific IE factors and 86.51% of deaths were not related to cardiovascular or infectious diseases. CONCLUSION: Despite the high perioperative mortality rate after surgical treatment for active IE, long-term survival after hospital discharge was acceptable, regardless of the severity of the endocarditis episode. Although in-hospital survival depended mainly on several IE factors, long-term survival was not related to the severity of endocarditis baseline affection.

Multifocal osteonecrosis associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The osteonecrosis has emerged in the last years as a potentially disabling osteoarticular complication in HIV-infected patients. There is a high prevalence of traditional risk factors for osteonecrosis development in these patients, but they also have factors associated to HIV infection in itself and the high activity antiretroviral therapy. The HIV-associated osteonecrosis often affects the hips, with a trend to bilaterally, but concomitant affection of 3 or more locations (multifocal osteonecrosis) has been infrequently reported. We present the case of a 49-years-old male patient, with long duration HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy, who developed osteonecrosis with concomitant affection of hips, knees, heels and tarsus.

Tuberculosis in special populations.

The susceptibility to infection, the pathogenesis and the clinical manifestations of tuberculosis (TB) depend on the immunological status of the host. Immunological status is largely determined by age and comorbidities, but is also affected by other less well known factors. In Spain, most incidental cases of TB arise from the reactivation of remotely acquired latent infections and are favored by the aging of the population and the use of aggressive immunosuppressive therapies. The diagnosis and management of TB in these circumstances is often challenging. On the one hand, the atypical presentation with extrapulmonary involvement may delay diagnosis, and on the other, the toxicity and interactions of the antituberculous drugs frequently make treatment difficult. Immigration from resource-poor, high incidence TB countries, where the social and economic conditions are often suboptimal, adds a new challenge to the control of the disease in Spain. This chapter summarizes our current knowledge of epidemiological, clinical and treatment aspects of TB in particularly susceptible populations.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary infection in patients with cystic fibrosis: diagnosis and treatment.

The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) recovered from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) appears to be increasing, probably related to improved surveillance and microbiological procedures and an increase in the life expectancy of patients with CF. The distinction between active lung infection and colonization is often difficult to assess in patients with CF because of the marked overlap in the clinical and radiological presentation of CF lung disease and lung disease caused by NTM infection. The possibility of active NTM lung infection should be considered in those patients with compatible radiographic changes and/or progressive deterioration in lung function who do not improve with specific antibiotic therapy and who have repeatedly positive sputum cultures and smears for NTM. Patients with repeatedly positive results of acid-fast smears are more likely to be infected than colonized. Pseudomonas overgrowth may confuse the results of sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cultures. Decontamination of respiratory samples from patients with CF with 5% oxalic acid results in improved bacteriological recovery of NTM. Skin tests are of limited value as a screening tool for NTM. Since the course of NTM lung infection is often slow, careful follow-up with repeated sputum cultures, chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scans may be needed. Treatment of NTM lung disease in patients with CF presents great difficulties because of abnormal gastrointestinal drug absorption and pharmacokinetics in this patient population. Treatment varies according to the mycobacterial species isolated. Long-term multidrug regimens including rifampin (rifampicin) and ethambutol are usually required. Monitoring serum drug levels is a useful indicator of correct dosage in order to prevent adverse effects due to potential drug interactions and altered pharmacokinetics in patients with CF.