ABSTRACT

The Duke criteria for the diagnosis of IE are relevant only for some patients. Clinical suspicion must be the most important step in the early diagnosis and treatment

In our series, 14.3% of the cultures were positive for coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus. Using the Duke criteria, only 14.2% patients had definite IE, while the others had possible IE.

Patients aged 8 months-14 years (mean 4.2±0.9) supposed to have infective endocarditis between January 2003 and July 2005 were included in the study. They were analyzed using the Duke criteria. Clinical and laboratory results, blood cultures, and echocardiographic findings were evaluated retrospectively. None of the patients had undergone dental or surgical procedures.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare infection in children with congenital heart disease. The aim of this study was to define clinical suspicion as the most im-portant criterion for its early diagnosis and treatment.