Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of 18 patients with isolated right sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) who hospitalized in our department between August 2005 and February 2009.
Methods: The epidemiological and clinical data of 18 non-drug addicts with RSIE were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: The incidence of RSIE accounted for 7.23% of all IE patients hospitalized in our department during the same period. Predisposing conditions were as follows: congenital heart disease (76.5%, 14/18), post operative procedures (3/18) and high dose glucocorticoids use (1/18). Fever (100%) was the most common clinical manifestation. Septic pulmonary embolism was the most prevalent complication (5/18). Staphylococci aureus (4/7) were the most common causative patho organisms, while the most common etiological organisms of left-sided and both-sided IE were Streptococci Viridans. Transthoracic echocardiography evidenced 17 cases of vegetations including 59.1% (13/22) tricuspid vegetations. There was no in-hospital death and the mean hospitalization duration was (22.0 +/- 18.9) days.
Conclusions: Congenital heart diseases, but not intravenous drug abuse, were the most prevalent predisposing factors for RSIE in this cohort. Staphylococci aureus were the most common causative organisms.