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What's new?Lead related infective endocarditis (LRIE) is the most threatening cardiac implantable electronic device infection, one that is associated with high mortality rates and requires prompt detection and management.The diagnosis of LRIE is often difficult due to nonspecific symptoms, and early detection is important in order to qualify the patient faster for transvenous lead extraction and initiate adequate antibiotic therapy.The current study is the first to assess the impact of expanded diagnostic criteria on the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with LRIE.The study was conducted based on a very large patient database with a prolonged follow-up period.The study results have important clinical implications: comparison of clinical data and risk factors for death in patients with definite and possible LRIE showed that detection of infection at an earlier stage using extended diagnostic criteria may improve the long-term survival of patients receiving appropriate therapy.
Polewczyk et al. (Mon,) studied this question.