Infective endocarditis in French Polynesia: Epidemiology, treatments and outcomes

Summary Background French Polynesia is a French overseas collectivity in the South Pacific Ocean, where data on infective endocarditis (IE) are lacking. Aims To investigate the epidemiology and outcomes of IE in French Polynesia. Methods All hospital records from consecutive patients hospitalized in Taaone Hospital, Tahiti, from 2015 to 2018, with an International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision, separation diagnosis of IE (I330), were reviewed retrospectively. Results From 190 hospital charts reviewed, 105 patients with a final diagnosis of IE, confirmed according to the modified Duke criteria, were included. The median duration of follow-up was 71 days (interquartile range 18–163 days). The mean age was 55 ± 17 years, and there were 68 men (65%). Thirty-five patients (33%) had a history of rheumatic carditis and 43 (41%) had a prosthetic valve. There were 40 (38%) cases of staphylococcal IE, 32 (30%) of streptococcal IE and six (6%) of enterococcal IE. Cardiogenic shock, septic shock and clinically relevant cerebral complications were strongly associated with death from any cause (hazard ratio [HR] 16.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.45–52.05 [P  Conclusions The pattern of IE in French Polynesia differs from Western countries in many ways. Postrheumatic valvular disease remains the main underlying disease, and access to emergency heart surgery is still a challenge.