Our results suggest that a postoperative 20% increase in plasma creatinine after cardiac surgery is not rare and has a significant impact on postoperative outcome, mainly when multiple organ dysfunction occurs. Any preoperative reduced renal reserve or perioperative renal ischemia increases the renal risk.

BackgroundAspecific scoring systems are used to predict the risk of death postsurgery in patients with infective endocarditis (IE). The purpose of the present study was both to analyze the risk factors for in‐hospital death, which complicates surgery for IE, and to create a mortality risk score based on the results of this analysis.Methods and ResultsOutcomes of 361 consecutive patients (mean age, 59.1±15.4 years) who had undergone surgery for IE in 8 European centers of cardiac surgery were recorded prospectively, and a risk factor analysis (multivariable logistic regression) for in‐hospital death was performed. The discriminatory power of a new predictive scoring system was assessed with the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Score validation procedures were carried out. Fifty‐six (15.5%) patients died postsurgery. BMI >27 kg/m2 (odds ratio [OR], 1.79; P=0.049), estimated glomerular filtration rate <50 mL/min (OR, 3.52; P<0.0001), New York Heart Association class IV (OR, 2.11; P=0.024), systolic pulmonary artery pressure >55 mm Hg (OR, 1.78; P=0.032), and critical state (OR, 2.37; P=0.017) were independent predictors of in‐hospital death. A scoring system was devised to predict in‐hospital death postsurgery for IE (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.780; 95% CI, 0.734–0.822). The score performed better than 5 of 6 scoring systems for in‐hospital death after cardiac surgery that were considered.ConclusionsA simple scoring system based on risk factors for in‐hospital death was specifically created to predict mortality risk postsurgery in patients with IE.

Introduction:We aimed to describe patients with coexisting infective endocarditis (IE) and bacterial meningitis (BM). Methods: We merged two large prospective cohorts, an IE cohort and a BM cohort, with only cases of definite IE and community-acquired meningitis. We compared patients who had IE and BM concurrently to patients with IE only and BM only. Results: Among the 1030 included patients, we identified 42 patients with IE-BM (4.1%). Baseline characteristics of patients with IE-BM were mostly similar to those of patients with IE, but meningitis was the predominant presentation at admission (39/42, 92.3%). Causative pathogens were predominantly Streptococcus pneumoniae (18/42, 42.9%) and Staphylococcus aureus (14/42, 33.3%). All pneumococcal IE were associated with BM (18/18). BM due to oral and group D streptococci, Streptococcus agalactiae, and S. aureus were frequently associated with IE Bruno Hoen and Xavier Duval contributed equally.The members of the AEPEI and the COMBAT study groups are listed in the Acknowledgements section.G. Be ´raud (&)