[Comparison of the epidemiological, clinical and diagnostic characteristics of infective endocarditis of native and prosthetic valves in a Peruvian reference center].

Objective: To compare the epidemiological, clinical and diagnostic characteristics of patients with native valve infective endocarditis (NVIE) and prosthetic valve infective endocarditis (PVIE) treated in a Peruvian reference center.

Materials and methods: A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted on patients diagnosed with NVIE and PVIE at the Instituto Nacional Cardiovascular (INCOR), EsSalud, between 2017 and 2023.

Results: A total of 65 NVIE and 55 PVIE cases were identified, with community-acquired infections predominating (92.3% in NVIE, 83.6% in PVIE). PVIE patients were older (mean age: 63.7 vs. 46.1 years, p<0.001) and had more comorbidities. The key predisposing factor in PVIE was prior endocarditis (20.0%) and valve repair (14.5%), while congenital heart disease (41.5%) and valvular disease (21.5%) predominated in NVIE. Fever and dyspnea were the most common symptoms in both groups. The aortic valve was the most frequently affected (78.5% in NVIE, 87.3% in PVIE). NVIE was associated with vegetation (92.3%) and leaflet perforations (41.5%), while PVIE showed more abscesses (34.5%) and pseudoaneurysms (36.4%). Cardiac computed tomography identified vegetations and pseudoaneurysms in both groups. Blood cultures were positive in 49.2% of NVIE and 65.5% of PVIE, with Streptococcus species predominant in NVIE and Staphylococcus species in PVIE. Surgical treatment was performed in 96.7% of NVIE and 82.6% of PVIE cases.

Conclusions: NVIE predominantly affected younger patients with congenital heart disease, while PVIE was more common in older patients with comorbidities. Transesophageal echocardiography and microbiological findings were essential for diagnosis.