[Present aspects of bacterial endocarditis in infants and children. Observation during the years 1969-1976 (author's transl)].

21 infants and children with proven bacterial endocarditis were observed at the Unviersity Children Hospital of Düsseldorf from January 1969 to December 1976. There was high incidence of cases in the infant group and again among the 6 to 8 years old children. Some important aspects of the disease were characteristic for the infant group (N=5): No congenital cardiac abnormality was present, but a surgical cerebro-atrial connection in two cases of hydrocephalus and a prolonged artifical respiration in a third patient could have been predisposing factors. Staphylococci were the pathologic organisms in three infants. The course of the disease consistently resembled that of septicemia and the outcome was always lethal. The diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis was disclosed only by the post mortem examination. The mitral and the tricuspid valves were affected twice respectively, the pulmonary cusps only once. In the children group (N=16) fifteen patients had a congenital malformation of the heart confirmed by previous catheterization. 8 were cyanotic and 5 of them had a tetralogy of Fallot with previous aorto-pulmonary shunting procedure (Waterston). Unlike the spectrum of micro-organisms presently found in adults, the streptococcus viridans prevailed as before, it was isolated in 11 of the 13 blood cultures which yielded positive results. The disease displayed a subacute course and mortality remained with 3 deaths relatively low. In 3 other cases a valve lesion subsisted, in two instances severe enough to necessitate surgery (aortic valve prosthesis, mitral annular narrowing). No relapse was observed during the mean follow up period of 2;8 years.