Changing trends in clinical characteristics and in-hospital mortality of patients with infective endocarditis over four decades

Background: Infective endocarditis continues to be a significant concern and may be undergoing an epidemiological transition. Methods: Were studied 1804 consecutive episodes of infective endocarditis between 1978 and 2022. The mean age was 48 ( ± 19), and 1162 (64%) patients were male. Temporal trends in demographic data, comorbidities, predisposing conditions, microorganisms, complications and in-hospital death have been studied over the decades (1978–1988, 1989–1999, 2000–2010 and 2011–2022). The outcomes and clinical characteristics were modeled using nonlinear cubic spline functions. Findings: Valve surgery was performed in 50% of the patients and overall in-hospital mortality was 30%. From the first to the fourth decade studied, the average age of patients increased from 29 to 57 years (p