Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Diagnosis and Management of Infective Endocarditis

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Background: The lockdown and other measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prevention have presented an enormous burden on healthcare systems, causing reorganization in work and lowering the number of elective hospitalizations, along with a consequent reduction in hospital-acquired infections and bacteremia. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis (IE). Methods: The study included 111 patients admitted for IE from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2021. They were divided in two groups chronologically according to the COVID-19 pandemic: the first group consisted of patients before the pandemic (n = 85), while the second group consisted of patients during the pandemic (n = 26). Results: Before the pandemic there were 2.26 ± 1.41 cases/month with diagnosis of IE, while during the pandemic there were only 1.14 ± 1.15 cases/month (p = 0.004). IE patients during the pandemic were younger (53 [41–65] vs. 68 [52–74] years; p < 0.05). A similar number of patients underwent surgical treatment before and during COVID-19 (53% vs. 67%; p = 0.210) and 30-day mortality was comparable (28% vs. 22%; p = 0.539). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown measures have led to a reduction in the number of patients with IE, although this change did not influence management strategies and mortality.

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