Abstract: Objective To provide evidence for the diagnosis and treatment of infective endocarditis by analyzing the etiology, clinical features, complications and prognosis of patients treated in a local tertiary hospital. Methods Clinical data of 80 patients with infective endocarditis treated during March 2014 and December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including demographic characteristics, heart disease, clinical manifestations, comorbidities, pathogenic bacteria, and echocardiographic manifestations. The efficacies of medical and surgical treatments were compared. Results The majority of patients were young and middle-aged males. Fever was the most common clinical manifestation and heart failure was the most common complication. The positive rate of blood culture was 57.5%, and the pathogenic bacteria were mainly gram-positive coccus, especially staphylococcus aureus, followed by streptococcus aureus. Primary heart disease occurred in 90% of the patients, mainly non-rheumatic disease involved the aortic valve and mitral valve, and 30 patients underwent cardiac surgery. Ultrasound showed a high positive rate of cardiac vegetations, mainly attached to the left cardiac system. There were no significant differences in the treatment outcomes among patients with different ages, fever or heart murmur. Surgical treatment yielded better results than medical treatment. Conclusion The majority of adult with infective endocarditis are young and middle-aged males. Fever is the most common clinical manifestation, and heart valves are often involved. The major pathogenic microorganism is staphylococcus aureus. As surgical treatment is more effective than medical treatment, it is highly recommended for selected patients.

Key words: Infective endocarditis, Clinical feature, Medical treatment, Surgical treatment, Heart disease