Characteristics of Infective Endocarditis in 4 University Hospitals where Staphylococcus aureus is the Most Common Causative Organism / 감염과화학요법

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: To evaluate whether Staphylococcus aureus is actually the leading cause of infective endocarditis in Korea, investigation on updated clinical pictures, treatments, and prognosis was performed. This study also aims to describe differences in clinical characteristics of infective endocarditis in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty five patients who were diagnosed with infective endocarditis, using modified Duke criteria, at 4 Soon Chun Hyang University Hospitals (located in Seoul, Bucheon, Cheonan, and Gumi) from January of 2000 to June of 2007 were enrolled. Patients were separated into two groups; those on hemodialysis and those who were not on hemodialysis (control group). Medical records and laboratory results of each patient were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The positive rate of blood culture was 72.7%. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in 38.2% of the patients, making it the most common causative organism of infective endocarditis. It was also the most common organism in both hemodialysis group and non-hemodialysis group. Six patients (10.9%) died while admitted to the hospital and the in-hospital death rate for hemodialysis group was significantly higher. CONCLUSION: In most parts of the world, S. aureus is increasingly becoming the principal causative organism of infective endocarditis. To our knowledge, this is the first study that shows S. aureus to be the most common causative organism of infective endocarditis in Korea, and that Korea is not except from this global epidemiology.