Infective Endocarditis

This study describes the clinical features of 60 episodes of infective endocarditis occurring in 55 patients in a community setting. Staphylococcus aureus and viridans streptococci remain the most common species isolated, accounting for 27% and 15% of infections, respectively. In contrast to earlier series from tertiarycare centers, the patients in this report were older (mean age, 62 $pM 18 y), had a higher rate of infection due to non-viridans streptococci and enterococci (30%), and were more likely to have hospital-acquired infections (25%). Age of 70 years or older was highly predictive of a fatal outcome (relative risk = 13.44; 95% confidence interval, 2.6–975; P < .001). Comparison to reports from institutions serving a similar partient population show these to be the distinctive clinical features of infective endocarditis in the community setting.