Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis Resulting from Nosocomial Bacteremia: A Prospective, Multicenter Study

Objective: To determine the incidence of endocarditis in bacteremic patients with prosthetic heart valves and the risk factors for and the effect of duration of antibiotic therapy on development of endocarditis in such patients. Design: Multicenter, prospective observational study. Setting: Six university teaching hospitals with highvolume cardiothoracic surgery. Participants: One hundred seventy-one consecutive patients with prosthetic heart valves who developed bacteremia during hospitalization. Measurements and Main Results: Patients were evaluated when they were identified as having bacteremia and 1, 2, 6, and 12 months after its occurrence