TOPLINE:

Patients who survived at least 90 days after valvular surgery for infective endocarditis experienced higher mortality and a greater burden of hospitalisation in the year following discharge than those without a history of infective endocarditis.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers analysed data from Danish registries to assess long-term outcomes in 1050 adults (median age, 65.8 years; 77.5% men) who survived at least 90 days after valvular surgery for infective endocarditis between January 2010 and December 2023.
• Patients treated surgically for endocarditis were matched for age, sex, and key comorbidities with a control group of 3150 individuals from the background population without a previous history of infective endocarditis.
• The primary outcome was 5-year and 10-year all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were hospitalisations for heart failure and any readmission during the year after 90 days of surgery.

TAKEAWAY:

• Patients who survived surgery for infective endocarditis had a 49% higher 5-year mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.49; 95% CI, 1.24-1.79) and a 38% higher 10-year mortality (aHR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.19-1.60) than control individuals.
• Hospitalisations for heart failure were more common among patients who survived surgery for infective endocarditis than among control individuals at 5 years (11.0% vs 6.7%) and 10 years (17.8% vs 8.8%; P < .001 for both).
• The duration and frequency of hospitalisations during the first year after 90 days of surgery was higher among patients who survived surgery for infective endocarditis than among control individuals.
• At baseline, cardiovascular conditions were more common among patients who survived surgery for infective endocarditis than among control individuals.

IN PRACTICE:

"When addressing the prognosis of patients with IE [infective endocarditis] in a clinical setting, it is crucial to recognise that, beyond mortality, the frequent need for hospital readmissions represents a substantial burden on quality of life. This factor should be considered when counselling patients," the researchers reported.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Sikander Tajik Nielsen, Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark. It was published online on September 01, 2025, in Open Heart.

LIMITATIONS:

This study had limitations typically found in retrospective studies. Important clinical variables, including echocardiograms, blood samples, and New York Heart Association classifications, were unavailable. Many participants did not complete the full 10-year follow-up period.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive funding from any specific agency. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.