Superiority of surgical versus medical treatment in patients with Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis

Background: We present here the clinical features and outcome of 54 patients affected by a Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis at the Amiens hospital between 1990 and 2000. The patients operated-on, group A (20 patients), were compared to the population of patients treated by exclusive antibiotherapy, group B (34 patients). Patients and Method: The male gender predominated with a sex ratio of 2.6. The mean age of the global population was 58.7±1.6 years. Time between onset of endocarditis symptoms and treatment (entire group) ranged from 1 to 120 days (mean 14.4 days). The main portal of entry were, respectively, for group A and group B: cutaneous 55% and 44.1%; intravascular material 5% and 8.8%; and rhinopharynx 5% and 8.8%. Seventy-five percent of the Staphylococcus aureus isolated were Methi-S. The main surgical treatment indication were: hemodynamic failure (HF) (30%), unstable infection with collapse (UI) (30%), UI+HF (10%), voluminous vegetation (20%) and embolism event (10%). Results: The hospital mortality rate were respectively for the entire group, group A and group B: 25%, 35% and to 41% (ns). For group A, the operative mortality was lower(21%) after the first week. The actuarial survival rate (Kaplan–Meier) after 24 months was 54./±6.9% for the global population and 74±10.6% for group A and 43±8.5 for group B (p<0.001). The multivariate analysis finds severe sepsis and index of comorbidity as independent factors related to the global late mortality and, respectively, the age and the severe sepsis for group A, and the cardiac insufficiency for group B. Conclusion: The surgical treatment seems to be the best way to improve the results after Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis. The severity of the sepsis remains the most severe prognostic element, whatever the treatment adopted may be.