The diagnostic utility of transthoracic echocardiography for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis in the real world of the Italian Registry on Infective Endocarditis.

BACKGROUND: The choice of the imaging modality (transthoracic [TTE] vs. transesophageal echocardiography [TEE]) for the diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) depends on different variables. Aim of the present study is to provide updated data on the diagnostic sensitivity and the clinical usefulness of TTE vs. TEE from the Italian Registry on IE (RIEI). METHODS: The RIEI has enrolled consecutive cases of IE in every participating centre, evaluating diagnostic and therapeutic data from a real world practice perspective. RESULTS: From July 2007 to October 2010, 658 consecutive cases with definite IE according to Duke criteria have been enrolled in the RIEI (483 males). The following diagnostic echocardiographic exams were performed: 616 TTE (94%) and 476 TEE (72%). A positive TTE was recorded in 399 cases (65%), an uncertain TTE in 108 cases (17%), and a negative TTE in 109 cases (18%). For TEE, a positive study was reported in 451 cases (95%), uncertain in 13 cases (2.7%), and negative in 12 cases (2.5%) (P < 0.001). This difference is not evident in patients with tricuspid valve IE or i.v. drug addiction, and in Streptococcus bovis or Streptococcus viridans IE. TTE was significantly more performed before the admission and earlier than TEE during admission (P = 0.000). TTE was mainly responsible for the initial diagnosis in 59%. TEE contributed to changing the therapeutic approach in 42%. CONCLUSIONS: In the real world, TTE is performed earlier and more commonly, and it is the major echocardiographic tool for the initial diagnosis. TEE confirms its superior diagnostic sensitivity in most cases, although it is relatively underused.

Clinical epidemiology in Italian Registry of Infective Endocarditis (RIEI): Focus on age, intravascular devices and enterococci.

INTRODUCTION: The epidemiology of infective endocarditis (IE) is changing due to a number of factors, including aging and health related comorbidities and medical procedures. The aim of this study is to describe the main clinical, epidemiologic and etiologic changes of IE from a large database in Italy. METHODS: We prospectively collected episodes of IE in 17 Italian centers from July 2007 to December 2010. RESULTS: We enrolled 677 patients with definite IE, of which 24% health-care associated. Patients were male (73%) with a median age of 62 years (IQR: 49-74) and 61% had several comorbidities. One hundred and twenty-eight (19%) patients had prosthetic left side IE, 391 (58%) native left side IE, 94 (14%) device-related IE and 54 (8%) right side IE. A predisposing cardiopathy was present in 50%, while odontoiatric and non odontoiatric procedures were reported in 5% and 21% of patients respectively. Symptoms were usually atypical and precocious. The prevalent etiology was represented by Staphylococcus aureus (27%) followed by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS, 21%), Streptococcus viridans (15%) and enterococci (14%). CNS and enterococci were relatively more frequent in patients with intravascular devices and prosthesis and S. viridans in left native valve. Diagnosis was made by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography in 62% and 94% of cases, respectively. The in-hospital mortality was 14% and 1-year mortality was 21%. CONCLUSION: The epidemiology is changing in Italy, where IE more often affects older patients with comorbidities and intravascular devices, with an acute onset and including a high frequency of enterococci. There were few preceding odontoiatric procedures.

[Epidemiology of acute coronary syndromes in cardiology departments of the Emilia Romagna region: the AI-CARE2 study]. / Epidemiologia delle sindromi coronariche acute nelle cardiologie dell'Emilia Romagna: lo studio AI-CARE2.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to better delineate the characteristics, treatments and outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndromes in Emilia Romagna, a region of Italy, with 4 million inhabitants. METHODS: From January 10 to March 12, 2000, we performed a prospective survey (24/27 hospitals of the region) on 1074 consecutive patients with a discharge diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. RESULTS: Based on the initial electrocardiogram, patients were classified as having an ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome in 41% of cases, a non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome in 54%, and an acute coronary syndrome with an undetermined electrocardiographic pattern in 5%. The discharge diagnosis was Q wave myocardial infarction in 43%, non-Q wave myocardial infarction in 26%, and unstable angina in 31% of patients. The use of antiplatelet, beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, and antithrombin agents for patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes were 96, 62, 56, and 93%, respectively, with corresponding rates of 93, 63, 53, and 87% for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. During the initial admission, coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary bypass surgery were performed in 31, 15, and 1% of ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome patients, respectively, with corresponding rates of 43, 15, and 5% for non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. Among patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes, 61% received a reperfusion treatment; 58% coronary thrombolysis, and 3% primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The in-hospital mortality of patients with ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes was 10%, of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes 3%, and of patients with underdetermined electrocardiographic acute coronary syndromes 8%. At 6 months, the mortality rate increased to 16, 8, and 18%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show the use of evidence-based pharmacological treatments in this population. This is associated with clinical outcomes which favorably compare with those observed in clinical trials. However, there is still room for improvement in the implementation of the invasive treatment.