Background
Infective endocarditis (IE) may be complicated by acute kidney injury, yet data on the use of dialysis and subsequent reversibility are sparse.
Methods
Using Danish nationwide registries, we identified patients with first-time IE from 2000 to 2017. Dialysis-naïve patients were grouped into: those with and those without dialysis during admission with IE. Continuation of dialysis was followed 1 year postdischarge. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to examine 1-year mortality for patients surviving IE according to use of dialysis.
Results
We included 7307 patients with IE; 416 patients (5.7%) initiated dialysis treatment during admission with IE and these were younger, had more comorbidities and more often underwent cardiac valve surgery compared with nondialysis patients (47.4% vs 20.9%). In patients with both cardiac valve surgery and dialysis treatment (n = 197), 153 (77.7%) initiated dialysis on or after the date of surgery. The in-hospital mortality was 40.4% and 19.0% for patients with and without dialysis, respectively (P < .0001). Of those who started dialysis and survived hospitalization, 21.6% continued dialysis treatment within 1 year after discharge. In multivariable adjusted analysis, dialysis during admission with IE was associated with an increased 1-year mortality from IE discharge, hazard ratio = 1.64 (95% confidence interval, 1.21–2.23).
Conclusion
In dialysis-naïve patients with IE, approximately 1 in 20 patients initiated dialysis treatment during admission with IE. Dialysis identified a high-risk group with an in-hospital mortality of 40% and an approximate 20% risk of continued dialysis. Those with dialysis during admission with IE showed worse long-term outcomes than those without.