Table 1.
Characteristics of patients included in the study
| Variable | Valuea | Group 1a (n = 16) | Group 2a (n = 24) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 58.6 ± 18 | 59 ± 18 | 58 ± 19 | 0.98 |
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 12 (30%) | 4 (25%) | 8 (33%) | 0.57 |
| Male | 28 (70%) | 12 (75%) | 16 (67%) | |
| Body mass (kg) | 76 ± 15.7 | 71.7 ± 15.9 | 80.2 ± 14.7 | 0.15 |
| Body high (cm) | 171 ± 8.2 | 170 ± 7.5 | 172 ± 9 | 0.71 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 25.9 ± 4.3 | 24.5 ± 4.2 | 27.4 ± 4.1 | 0.08 |
| Body surface area (m2) | 1.88 ± 0.22 | 1.82 ± 0.22 | 1.93 ± 0.21 | 0.20 |
| Heart failure (NYHA I/II/III/IV) |
30 (75%) (5/10/11/4) |
14 (87%) (2/5/6/1) |
16 (67%) (3/5/5/3) |
0.46 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 9 (22.5%) | 4 (25%) | 5 (21%) | 0.76 |
| Arterial hypertension | 20 (50%) | 5 (31%) | 15 (63%) | 0.053 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 12 (30%) | 6 (38%) | 6 (25%) | 0.40 |
| Chronic liver disease | 7 (17.5%) | 3 (19%) | 4 (17%) | 0.79 |
| Cardiovascular implantable electronic device present | 32 (80%) | 15 (94%) | 17 (71%) | 0.08 |
| Pacemaker | 18 (45%) | 7 (44%) | 11 (46%) | |
| ICD | 9 (22.5%) | 6 (38%) | 3 (12%) | |
| CRT | 5 (12.5%) | 2 (12%) | 3 (12%) | |
| Years since implantation of device | 8 ± 6.9 | 7.6 ± 6.2 | 8.1 ± 7.4 | 0.93 |
| Implanted prosthetic heart valve | 9 (22.5%) | 4 (25%) | 5 (21%) | 0.76 |
| Aortic mechanical valve | 4 (10%) | 1 (6%) | 3 (12%) | |
| Biological aortic valve | 3 (7.5%) | 1 (6%) | 2 (8%) | |
| Mitral mechanical valve | 2 (5%) | 2 (12%) | 0 | |
| Mitral biological valve | 1 (2.5%) | 1 (6%) | 0 | |
| Years since implantation of valve | 10 ± 7.4 | 10.8 ± 10.5 | 7.5 ± 6.2 | 0.58 |
| Maximum body temperature (°C) | 37.59 ± 1 | 37.5 ± 0.82 | 37.6 ± 1.2 | 0.87 |
| Fever | 17 (42.5%) | 7 (44%) | 10 (42%) | 0.89 |
| Number of leukocytes in peripheral blood (109/l) | 9.83 ± 4.31 | 10.51 ± 4.69 | 9.37 ± 4.08 | 0.22 |
| Number of neutrophils in peripheral blood (109/l) | 7.14 ± 4.12 | 7.63 ± 4.9 | 6.81 ± 3.58 | 0.58 |
| C-reactive protein (mg/l) [median, q1–q3] | 52.76 ± 0.29 [15.5 (3.0–58.5)] | 65.48 ± 95.7 [30 (2.5–67)] | 44.28 ± 69.05 [13 (3–49)] | 0.57 |
| Procalcitonin (ng/ml) [median, q1–q3] | 2.45 ± 7.93 [0.05 (0.05–0.17)] | 2.89 ± 10.96 [0.05 (0.05–0.25)] | 2.16 ± 5.3 [0.05 (0.05–0.21)] | 0.24 |
| Left ventricle ejection fraction (%) | 44.6 ± 17.8 | 42 ± 18 | 47 ± 18 | 0.54 |
| Left ventricle end-diastolic diameter (mm) | 56.26 ± 11.9 | 57 ± 14 | 56 ± 11 | 0.98 |
| Right ventricle proximal outflow tract diameter (mm) | 33.2 ± 7 | 34 ± 7 | 32 ± 7 | 0.49 |
| Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (mm) | 18.1 ± 5.6 | 17 ± 6 | 19 ± 5 | 0.71 |
| Right atrium area (cm2) | 22.2 ± 9.4 | 25 ± 12 | 20 ± 6 | 0.36 |
| Left atrium area (cm2) | 24.8 ± 7.7 | 25 ± 9 | 25 ± 6 | 0.82 |
| Pericardial effusion | 4 (10%) | 2 (12%) | 2 (8%) | 1.00 |
| Echocardiographic lesions typical for IE | 28 (70%) | 14 (87%) | 14 (58%) | 0.04 |
| Echocardiography positive for IE—mitral valve | 3 (7.5%) | 1 (6%) | 2 (8%) | 1.00 |
| Echocardiography positive for IE—aortic valve | 6 (15%) | 2 (12%) | 4 (16%) | 0.72 |
| Echocardiography positive for IE—tricuspid valve | 3 (7.5%) | 1 (6%) | 2 (8%) | 1.00 |
| Echocardiography positive for IE—pulmonic valve | 1 (2.5%) | 1 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 1.00 |
| Vegetations | 24 (60%) | 12 (75%) | 12 (50%) | 0.12 |
| Vegetations within an electrode | 20 (50%) | 12 (75%) | 8 (30%) | 0.01 |
| Valvular vegetations | 10 (24%) | 4 (25%) | 6 (25%) | 1.00 |
| New severe valve regurgitation (valve perforation or prosthetic valve dehiscence) | 3 (7.5%) | 1 (6%) | 2 (8%) | 1.00 |
| Perivalvular abscess | 1 (2.5%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (4%) | 1.00 |
| Valve aneurysm | 1 (2.5%) | 1 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 1.00 |
| Extracardiac infectious foci in 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT/CT | 19 (47.5%) | 7 (44%) | 12 (50%) | 0.69 |
According to the 99mTc-HMPAO-SPECT/CT patients were stratified into those with the presence of intracardiac foci (group 1) and those without (group 2)
aData are given as a number (percentage) for categorical data and as mean value ± one standard deviation or median (IQR) for continuous variable