RESUMO
We followed during their hospital stay, 129 patients aged 14 to 74 years old, who had 131 episodes of infective endocarditis. Clinical assessment, echocardiography and microbiological study was done to all patients. Surgical indications were those derived from complications. Thirty three patients died during hospital stay (25.2 percent). There were no differences between survivors and deceased patients in the lapse between onset of symptoms and hospital admission, presence of fever, dyspnea or heart murmurs. Skin and mucosal septic manifestations occured with higher frequency in deceased patients (57.1 and 24.3 percent respectively). Blood cultures were positive in 55 percent in survivors and 48 percent in those who died. The most frequent infecting organisms were staphilococci and streptococci. Vegetations were found with greater frequency in aortic position in both groups of patients. Deceased patients had a higher frequency of cardiac failure (84 and 65 percent respectively) and embolic episodes (77 and 46 percent respectively) than survivors. Antimicrobial treatment was successfull in 94 percent of survivors and 15 percent of those who died. Forty percent of survivors and 54 percent of deceased patients were subjected to surgical procedures. The most important predictor of hospital mortality in this series of patients with infective endocarditis was antimicrobial treatment failure
