[Infectious endocarditis in children].

he recent advances in surgical treatment of congenital heart disease, permits the survival of those cases to adult life. Infective endocarditis in the childhood is becoming increasingly important. We studied 32 cases in the pediatric cardiology ward at the INC between 1977 and 1981. There was a male predominance of 62.5%. Rheumatic heart disease (40.7%), congenital heart disease (15.6%) and postoperative cases (43.7%) were the underlying conditions. There was an average time of 43 days delay from the first symptom to diagnosis. Blood cultures were taken in 29 cases (90.6%). Only half of them were positive. Staphylococcus and streptococcus were the commonest isolates. Peripheral and pulmonary embolism (11 cases-34.4%) were the most frequent complications. In those cases with negative blood culture the most successful antibiotic combination was ampicillin or oxacillin plus aminoglucosides (56%). There were 17 deaths (53%).