Chesdachai, Supavit

Background Echocardiographic evaluation of vegetations is crucial in infective endocarditis ( IE ). Although several studies have noted a link between larger vegetations and an increased risk of embolization, a more comprehensive evaluation of vegetation characteristics in a contemporary cohort has not been conducted. Our study aimed to define the short‐term risk of symptomatic embolization in patients with IE . Methods and Results The Mayo Clinic IE registry was screened to identify patients from 2015 to 2021 who had undergone transesophageal echocardiography. Multivariable subdistribution hazards regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with the cumulative incidence of symptomatic embolism over 30 days accounting for the competing risk of death. Overall, 779 patients with IE were included, of whom 517 (66.4%) were men, median age was 65.0 ( interquartile range, 52.9–74.8) years, and 89.3% were White. In total, 234 patients had a symptomatic embolic event, a 30‐day cumulative incidence of 30.2%. In multivariable analysis, a highly mobile vegetation was the strongest predictor of embolism ( P <0.001). Vegetation length with interaction of IE type was also associated with embolic risk ( P <0.001), with a stronger effect in native valve IE ( P interaction=0.001). Other associated factors included multiple vegetations, younger age, and Staphylococcus aureus . A nomogram that incorporated these factors was constructed to facilitate the prediction of embolic risk. Conclusions Highly mobile, larger vegetations are associated with embolic events. Embolic risk could be assessed by evaluating length as a continuous variable, alongside other echocardiographic findings, using a newly developed scoring tool; external validation is warranted.

Abstract A distinction between infections of left ventricular assist devices and cardiac implantable electronic devices is warranted as they differ markedly in incidence, microbiologic profiles, clinical presentations, and extraction feasibility. These differences necessitate tailored suppressive antibiotic therapy (SAT) strategies. This commentary highlights the need for device-specific SAT approaches.

Background: Diagnostic uncertainty caused by the low positive predictive value of HEV-specific IgM antibody (Ab) testing in a low-prevalence setting. We investigated the utility of a two-step HEV IgM Ab testing approach for diagnosing HEV infection. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all adults who underwent HEV IgM Ab and/or HEV RNA testing from July 2013 through June 2023 at Mayo Clinic. Two-step HEV IgM testing involved initial testing using recomWell HEV IgM ELISA (Mikrogen, Neuried, Germany), with reflex to recomLine HEV IgM Strip (Mikrogen, Neuried, Germany) on all recomWell HEV IgM-reactive or IgM-equivocal specimens, as recomLine HEV IgM has higher specificity than recomWell HEV IgM but is more labor-intensive. Results: A total of 1640 patients had HEV IgM Ab or HEV RNA testing, including 1293 (79%) with only HEV IgM Ab testing, 213 (13%) with only HEV RNA testing, and 134 (8%) with both HEV IgM Ab and HEV RNA testing. Eighteen HEV infections were diagnosed with acute (N=16) and chronic (N=2) infections. Two-step IgM Ab testing did not identify 2 solid organ transplant recipients with chronic HEV infection. In acute HEV infection with HEV viremia, 3 out of 4 patients (2 solid organ transplant recipients and 1 patient with Guillain-Barre syndrome) were treated with ribavirin. Conclusions: A two-step HEV IgM Ab test may accurately diagnose acute HEV infection in immunocompetent persons. However, this approach fails to identify chronic HEV infection in immunocompromised individuals who need HEV RNA testing to establish the diagnosis.

Background: Isavuconazole (ISA) has a favorable side effect profile that makes it attractive for treatment of invasive fungal infections (IFI). It carries FDA approval for invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis, but there are fewer data for other organisms and non-pulmonary infections. We conducted this review to investigate how ISA performed at treating IFI, with an especial interest in these non-approved indications. Methods: We retrospectively identified and reviewed 131 patients who received ISA as treatment for IFI at our institution, some of whom received ISA as their first anti-fungal therapy and others who received ISA as either step-down therapy or salvage therapy. We identified the microbiologic cause of infection as well as the anatomic site involved for each patient. We then classified patients according to their response to ISA: namely cured, partially responded, or stabilized. Results: The majority of patients were immunocompromised (n = 76, 58%). ISA was used primarily as a secondary therapy (n = 116, 89%); either as a step-down/switching from other agents, or as salvage therapy. The most common reasons for switching to ISA were toxicities with prior agents followed by QT prolongation. Although pulmonary aspergillosis and mucormycosis were represented in more than half of the cohort, ISA was also used off-label for treatment of other organisms such as endemic fungi (n = 19, 15%) as well as central nervous system (CNS) infections (n = 15, 11%). We have described the detailed clinical characteristics of these CNS infections cases. The overall clinical response rate varied by type of infection and site involved (57–73% response rate). Conclusions: We demonstrated encouraging clinical responses, particularly outside the FDA-approved indications, as well as good tolerability. This report highlights the critical need for expanded scope of prospective studies to delineate the efficacy of this better-tolerated agent, especially in central nervous system infections.

Abstract Cardiac implantable electronic device infection in the context of corynebacterial bloodstream infection (BSI) remains poorly understood. From 2012 to 2023 at Mayo Clinic, 4 of 12 patients with corynebacterial BSI had cardiac implantable electronic device infection: 1 patient was diagnosed during a relapsing BSI episode. Undefined source, persistent BSI, and the presence of a prosthetic cardiac valve were common characteristics.

Abstract Vascular graft infection (VGI) is one of the most serious complications following arterial reconstructive surgery. VGI has received increasing attention over the past decade, but many questions remain regarding its diagnosis and management. In this review, we describe our approach to VGI through multidisciplinary collaboration and discuss decision making for challenging presentations. This review will concentrate on VGI that impacts both aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms excluding the ascending thoracic aorta.

Abstract Vascular graft infection (VGI) is one of the most serious complications following arterial reconstructive surgery. VGI has received increasing attention over the past decade, but many questions remain regarding its diagnosis and management. In this review, we describe our approach to VGI through multidisciplinary collaboration and discuss decision-making for challenging presentations. This document will concentrate on VGI that impacts both aneurysms and pseudoaneurysms excluding the ascending thoracic aorta.

Abstract Background Nocardia tends to cause infection in immunocompromised patients or those with chronic pulmonary disease. Nocardia is known to recur, prompting the practice of secondary prophylaxis in patients perceived at high risk. However, few data exist regarding the epidemiology of recurrent nocardiosis or the effectiveness of secondary prophylaxis. Methods We performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed with nocardiosis from November 2011 to April 2022, including patients who completed primary treatment and had at least 30 days of posttreatment follow-up. Propensity score matching was used to analyze the effect of secondary prophylaxis on Nocardia recurrence. Results Fifteen of 303 (5.0%) patients developed recurrent nocardiosis after primary treatment. Most recurrences were diagnosed either within 60 days (N = 6/15, 40.0%) or between 2 to 3 years (N = 4/15, 26.7%). Patients with primary disseminated infection tended to recur within 1 year, whereas later recurrences were often nondisseminated pulmonary infection. Seventy-eight (25.7%) patients were prescribed secondary prophylaxis, mostly trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (N = 67/78). After propensity-matching, secondary prophylaxis was not associated with reduced risk of recurrence (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% confidence interval, .24–3.83), including in multiple subgroups. Eight (53.3%) patients with recurrent nocardiosis required hospitalization and no patients died from recurrent infection. Conclusions Recurrent nocardiosis tends to occur either within months because of the same Nocardia species or after several years with a new species. Although we did not find evidence for the effectiveness of secondary prophylaxis, the confidence intervals were wide. However, outcomes of recurrent nocardiosis are generally favorable and may not justify long-term antibiotic prophylaxis for this indication alone.

AbstractBackgroundGiven the challenges of conventional therapies in managing right‐sided infective endocarditis (RSIE), percutaneous mechanical aspiration (PMA) of vegetations has emerged as a novel treatment option. Data on trends, characteristics, and outcomes of PMA, however, have largely been limited to case reports and case series.Aims:The aim of the current investigation was to provide a descriptive analysis of PMA in the United States and to profile the frequency of PMA with a temporal analysis and the patient cohort.MethodsThe International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes were used to identify patients with RSIE in the national (nationwide) inpatient sample (NIS) database between 2016 and 2020. The clinical characteristics and temporal trends of RSIE hospitalizations in patients who underwent PMA was profiled.ResultsAn estimated 117,955 RSIE‐related hospital admissions in the United States over the 5‐year study period were estimated and 1675 of them included PMA. Remarkably, the rate of PMA for RSIE increased 4.7‐fold from 2016 (0.56%) to 2020 (2.62%). Patients identified with RSIE who had undergone PMA were young (medial age 36.5 years) and had few comorbid conditions (median Charlson Comorbidity Index, 0.6). Of note, 36.1% of patients had a history of hepatitis C infection, while only 9.9% of patients had a cardiovascular implantable electronic device. Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant (61.8%) pathogen. Concomitant transvenous lead extraction and cardiac valve surgery during the PMA hospitalization were performed in 18.2% and 8.4% of admissions, respectively. The median hospital stay was 19.0 days, with 6.0% in‐hospital mortality.ConclusionsThe marked increase in the number of PMA procedures in the United States suggests that this novel treatment option has been embraced as a useful tool in select cases of RSIE. More work is needed to better define indications for the procedure and its efficacy and safety.