Infective endocarditis at a tertiary care centre in Saudi Arabia: review of 47 cases over 10 years

ABSTRACT

To describe the pattern of infective endocarditis in a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a retrospective review was made of all cases admitted between 1993 and 2003. Of 47 patients, a native valve was involved in 37 [78.7%] and a prosthetic valve in 10 [21.3%]. Predisposing cardiac conditions were present in 27 patients rheumatic and congenital heart disease were the most common. Blood cultures were positive in 76.4% of patients the most commonly isolated organisms were Staphylococcus spp. in 20 patients [12 Sta. aureus and 8 coagulase-negative staphylococci] and Enterococcus spp. [6 patients]. The complication rate was 78.7% and hospital mortality rate was 8.5%