Staphylococcus aureus Endocarditis

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Abstract
For decades, infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Staphylococcus aureus has been viewed primarily as a community-acquired disease, especially associated with injection drug use.1-7 In contrast, patients with nosocomial or intravascular catheter–associated S aureus bacteremia were considered to be at low risk for IE.5,6,8-11S aureus IE is relatively infrequent at any individual institution, and observations of its characteristics were based primarily upon relatively small samples,1,3,6,9,12-14 single-center experiences,5,6,8,9,13-16 or retrospectively identified patients.2,7,8,15,16 Patient characteristics, treatment practices, and outcomes in these single-center studies often differed considerably. Moreover, because no large, prospectively collected, and geographically diverse cohort of patients with IE existed before now, the impact of regional variations on the characteristics, treatment, and outcome of S aureus IE was unknown.