Citations

Abstract Background Cardiac valve tissue obtained during the surgical management of infective endocarditis (IE) and sent for culture may influence postoperative antibiotic therapy. We sought to identify clinical and microbiologic risk factors associated with positive valve cultures (PVC) and IE relapses in a cohort of patients undergoing surgical management. Methods This is a retrospective, multi-center study of patients with surgical management during the acute (<42 days) course of IE-directed antibiotic therapy. The rate of PVC, IE relapse, and mortality were collected. Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to identify risk factors associated with PVC. Results Of 113 patients included, 36 (31.9%) had PVC. Univariate and multivariable analyses showed preoperative antibiotic duration and pathogens were associated with PVC. Median (IQR) days of preoperative antibiotics were 6.5 (4.0-11.0) for patients with PVC compared to 13.0 (8.0-21.0) for those with negative valve cultures (NVC). In a multivariable model, preoperative antibiotic administration decreased the risk of PVC (OR 0.85 per day, CI 0.77-0.91). Enterococcal IE increased the risk of PVC compared to streptococcal IE (OR 4.16, CI 1.07-17.48). Of note, 33 (63.2%) patients with NVC received a median (IQR) of 8 (5, 18.5) days of intravenous antibiotics per patient. Only one IE relapse was identified and occurred in a patient with NVC. Conclusions Both preoperative antibiotic duration and causative pathogen were associated with PVC. IE relapses were rare and unrelated to PVC. There may be an opportunity to shorten postoperative antibiotic durations following surgical management in patients with IE.

Isolated pulmonary valve endocarditis (PV-IE) is a rare condition. Its epidemiology, clinical profile, and management remain poorly characterized. A systematic review was conducted to provide a contemporary characterization (2020–2025) of adult cases with isolated PV-IE. Individuals with previous cardiac surgeries, cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), or long-term venous catheters were excluded. Of 1902 citations identified, 72 studies were selected with 79 eligible cases, mostly case reports. Patients were predominantly male (78.5%) with a median age of 43 years. Congenital heart disease (CHD) and injection drug use (IDU) were risk factors in 30.4% and 27.8% of cases, respectively, while 41.8% had neither (No-CHD/IDU group). Staphylococcus aureus was the leading pathogen (39%), followed by streptococci (16.5%) and Enterococcus faecalis (8.9%). Vegetations were large (median, 19.5 mm), and pulmonary septic emboli highly prevalent (~93% of cases). More than half (54.4%) of patients underwent surgery. Hospital mortality was low (7.6%). Differences across risk factor subgroups were observed, with higher median age in No-CHD/IDU patients and more staphylococcal etiology in patients with IDU, although treatment approaches and mortality did not differ. This review highlights distinct characteristics and the overall favorable short-term prognosis of isolated PV-IE, underscoring the need for larger, systematically collected datasets.

Abstract Background Knowing the prevalence of patent foramen ovale (PFO) and the increasing number of people who inject drugs (PWID) with right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE), we aimed to better characterize the syndrome of injection drug use, RSIE, and PFO with systemic embolic events. Method A systematic search across multiple databases was independently screened using predefined criteria (from inception until September 2025). Published cases of adult PWID diagnosed with RSIE and ischemic stroke or other systemic embolic event were included, provided they had PFO assessment. Individuals were excluded if they had cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) infections or any other conditions associated with systemic or paradoxical embolism. Results The review identified 13 studies with 14 young patients, mostly without comorbidities, predominantly infected with Staphylococcus aureus. In most cases, echocardiography revealed large tricuspid valve vegetations. Neuroimaging confirmed multiple ischemic infarcts, while 5 patients showed emboli outside the central nervous system (4 of them as the only systemic embolism). At least 11 (79%) patients had echocardiographic evidence of right-to-left shunting. Management included cardiac surgery in 6 cases that involved valve replacement or repair, percutaneous PFO closure in 2 cases, and percutaneous mechanical aspiration in 1 case. Three patients (21%) died during hospitalization, and only 27.3% patients had outpatient follow-up. Conclusions RSIE with systemic embolism in PWID with PFO has rarely been reported, affects younger patients without sex predominance, and was usually due to S. aureus with large tricuspid vegetations. Right-to-left shunting was characteristic, and outcomes were poor despite combined medical, surgical, and interventional therapies.

Abstract The practice patterns of fluorine 18–labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F] FDG PET/CT) use in cardiac implantable electronic device infection remain undefined. Among 258 Emerging Infections Network respondents, 69% reported never or rarely using [18F] FDG PET/CT. Limited access and insurance barriers were the most common obstacles.

ABSTRACT Introduction Cytomegalovirus (CMV) causes substantial morbidity after solid organ transplantation. Valganciclovir (VGCV) remains a first‐line prophylactic agent, but it has significant myelosuppressive effect. Letermovir is approved for CMV prophylaxis in high‐risk kidney transplant recipients, but data on its use outside of that population are limited. We describe characteristics and outcomes of letermovir prophylaxis in non‐kidney transplant recipients. Methods We performed a retrospective, multi‐center study of all adult non‐kidney solid organ transplant recipients (SOTr) who received letermovir (March 2018–June 2024) for CMV prophylaxis. Outcomes included breakthrough and post‐prophylaxis delayed‐onset CMV infections, adverse events, and survival. Results A total of 64 patients were included in the final analysis. Of those, letermovir was used for primary prophylaxis in 56.2% of patients, while the remainder received it for secondary prophylaxis. The main rationale behind selecting letermovir was myelosuppression related to VGCV. During the median follow‐up of 361 days (IQR, 190–536), 40.6% remained on letermovir (median, 387 days); 25.0% completed prophylaxis (median, 116 days); and 34.3% discontinued prematurely (median, 49 days), mainly for cost barriers or adverse effects. Breakthrough infections occurred in 9 patients (14.1%), but only three (4.7%) were clinically significant. After stopping letermovir, 39.5% (15/38 among those who discontinued letermovir) developed post‐prophylaxis delayed‐onset CMV infection. Overall survival was 81.2%; there was one death attributed to CMV. Conclusion In this cohort of non‐kidney solid organ recipients, letermovir was well tolerated with low rates of clinically significant breakthrough infections. Early discontinuation was commonly cost‐driven. Post‐prophylaxis delayed‐onset CMV infections remain common. Large‐scale registry studies are needed to provide evidence for use of letermovir in non‐kidney transplant recipients.

Abstract Patent foramen ovale (PFO) has a prevalence of approximately 25%. Its association with pyogenic brain abscess (PBA) is unclear. We reviewed adults with PBA and known PFO status from 1 January 2009 through 31 December 2021 at Mayo Clinic. High PFO prevalence (40.5%) was seen. PBA patients with PFO had distinct abscess characteristics but unchanged 1-year, all-cause mortality.

Abstract Background Cardiac implantable electronic device infection (CIEDI) is a serious complication, occurring in approximately 1% of implantations. In addition to antimicrobial therapy, complete device extraction is considered essential for definitive cure. However, this may not always be feasible due to a variety of factors. In select cases, long-term chronic antibiotic suppression (CAS) has been used, yet clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who received CAS have scarcely been reported. Methods A descriptive study analyzing all adult (age > 18) patients with definite CIEDI who received CAS between 2016 and 2023 across the Mayo Clinic Enterprise (Arizona, Florida, Minnesota, and Upper Midwest) was conducted. Patients with either ventricular assist devices or fungal infection were excluded. Results A total of 321 patients were diagnosed with definite CIEDI during the study period. A total of 37 (8.7%) patients received CAS due to device retention. The median age was 77.5 [IQR 70.5, 87.5] with 32.4% female. Permanent pacemakers were involved in most (64.9%) infections. Approximately one-third (32.4%) of patients had a prosthetic valve. The median time from initial device implantation to CIEDI was 10.6 years [IQR 4.8, 18.1]. CIED-related infective endocarditis was present in 70.3% of cases and 67.6% had lead involvement. The most commonly isolated organisms were Staphylococcus aureus (29.7%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (27%), Enterococcus faecalis (13.5%) and Streptococci (13.5%). Other pathogens or culture-negative cases comprised 16.3%. The primary reason for device retention and CAS was poor surgical candidacy. Doxycycline was the most commonly used agent for CAS, accounting for 37.8% of cases. The average length of suppression was 469.0 days [IQR158.0, 1264.0]. The rate of relapse was 8.1% with all occurring within 90 days of diagnosis. One year mortality was 27.0%. Conclusion CAS may be a feasible option for patients with device retention, although a small proportion experience CIEDI relapse. Unexpectedly, the pathogen distribution among CAS recipients differed from that seen in a general CIED infection population, highlighting selection bias and the distinct clinical characteristics of patients managed with CAS. Disclosures Larry M. Baddour, MD, UpToDate, Inc.: Royalty payments (authorship duties).