Technical University Dresden (TU Dresden) Researchers Have Published New Study Findings on Liver Cirrhosis (The impact of concomitant infective endocarditis in patients with spondylodiscitis and isolated spinal epidural empyema and the...).

A new study conducted by researchers at Technical University Dresden in Germany explores the co-occurrence of infective endocarditis (IE) and primary spinal infections (PSI) such as spondylodiscitis (SD) and isolated spinal epidural empyema (ISEE). The study aims to characterize the clinical phenotypes of PSI patients with concomitant IE and assess the accuracy of the modified Duke criteria in this specific population. The research identifies significant risk factors for the co-occurrence of IE and PSI, such as hepatic cirrhosis, septic embolism, and infection with certain pathogens. The study also highlights distinct clinical, radiological, and microbiological differences between PSI patients with and without IE, and suggests potential amendments to the modified Duke criteria for improved diagnostic accuracy in this high-risk population. [Extracted from the article]