[Infectious endocarditis in the University Hospital Center of Brazzaville. A study of 32 cases].

Thirty-eight cases of infective endocarditis (IE) were observed between 1976 and 1989 (1.3% of all cardiac disease). Thirty two cases were retained for study based on Von Reyn's criteria: 28 native valve endocarditis (27 left and 1 right heart valves) of which 18 occurred on previously undiseased valves (56.3%); 4 cases of left heart prosthetic valve endocarditis. The average age of the patients was 27.5 +/- 14 years and the group comprised 24 women and 8 men (p less than 0.001). Blood cultures were negative in 13 cases, revealed a Gram negative pathogen in 8 cases, a streptoccocus in 3 cases. Blood cultures were not performed in 2 cases. The IE was acute in 18 cases (56.7%) and subacute in 14 cases (43.7%). The dominant clinical signs were of massive and sometimes acute valvular regurgitation (mitral: 21 cases; aortic: 10 cases; mitral and aortic: 3 cases; tricuspid: 1 case). Twenty-six patients had cardiac failure (81.2%): LVF: 15 cases, congestive cardiac failure: 10 cases, RVF: 1 case. The other complications were embolic: cerebral (3 cases), mesenteric (1 case), pulmonary (4 cases). Antibiotic therapy was prescribed in all patients; surgery was required in 9 cases. There were 12 fatalities (37.5%), 10 in the medically treated group and 2 in the surgical group (p less than 0.05). The results show that the prognosis of IE in underdeveloped regions remains poor. Effective strategies of early diagnosis and treatment are urgently required to reduce the high mortality. Prophylaxis of IE should commence with measures to counter the portals of entry of the pathogens and the valvular sequellae of acute rhumatic fever.