Journal of the American Heart Association, Volume 15, Issue 6 , March 17, 2026. BackgroundPatients undergoing cardiac surgery face an increased risk of infective endocarditis (IE), a risk that may be further exacerbated by implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED).
This study aimed to assess the risk of IE after CIED implantation within 30 days of cardiac surgery and identify associated risk factors.MethodsAll patients in Sweden, with no previous CIED, who underwent first‐time cardiac surgery between 2006 and 2020 were included in this nationwide registry‐based study. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates were used to estimate the association between CIED implantation and the risk of IE.ResultsOut of 73 367 patients, 2302 (3.1%) received a CIED within 30 days.
Over a median follow‐up of 6.5 years (interquartile range, 3.2–10.1 years), 1556 patients (2.1%) developed IE. CIED implantation was associated with an increased IE risk (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.46 [95% CI, 1.20–1.77]).
Patients with IE had a significantly higher risk of mortality compared with those without IE (aHR, 1.80 [95% CI, 1.67–1.94];P<0.001).
Journal of the American Heart Association published a clinical update in Cardiology on 13 Mar 2026.
The item focuses on Infective Endocarditis After Arrythmia Device Implantation in Cardiac Surgery Patients.
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