Epidemiological Changes and Improvement in Outcomes of Infective Endocarditis in Europe in the Twenty-First Century: an International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) Prospective Cohort Study (2000–2012)

Infective endocarditis (IE) has undergone important changes in its epidemiology worldwide. The study aimed to compare IE epidemiological features and outcomes according to predefined European regions and between two different time periods in the twenty-first century. IE cases from 13 European countries were included. Two periods were considered: 2000–2006 and 2008–2012. Two European regions were considered, according to the United Nations geoscheme for Europe: Southern (SE) and Northern–Central Europe (NCE). Comparisons were performed between regions and periods. A total of 4195 episodes of IE were included, 2113 from SE and 2082 from NCE; 2787 cases were included between 2000 and 2006 and 1408 between 2008 and 2012. Median (IQR) age was 63.7 (49–74) years and 69.4