En las últimas décadas ha cambiado el espectro de las cardiopatías que predisponen a padecer una endocarditis, ya que las cardiopatías degenerativas son las valvulopatías más frecuentes y ha aumentado de manera notable el número de pacientes con endocarditis infecciosa sin valvulopatía conocida previamente. Los microorganismos que más frecuentemente causan la infección son las diferentes especies de estafilococos y estreptococos. La endocarditis infecciosa es una enfermedad poco frecuente, con una incidencia estimada de entre 3,1 y 3,7 episodios cada 100.000 habitantes y año, que es máxima en personas de edad avanzada.
Nevertheless, there is room for improvement in reducing the rate of nosocomial bacteremia, the prompt diagnosis of infective endocarditis in at-risk patients, and the early identification of patients with a highest risk of complications, as well as in the creation of multidisciplinary teams for the management of this disease. Despite advances in medical and surgical treatment, in-hospital mortality among infective endocarditis patients is high. As a result of substantial epidemiological changes, few cases of infective endocarditis can be prevented by antibiotic prophylaxis. These patients are more frail, which leads to higher in-hospital mortality. In addition, up to one-third of infective endocarditis patients become infected through contact with the health system. In the last few decades, the spectrum of heart diseases predisposing to infective endocarditis has changed, since degenerative heart disease is the most common valve disease, and there are an increasing number of infective endocarditis patients without previously known valve disease. The microorganisms most frequently isolated in infective endocarditis are staphylococci and streptococci.
The incidence is highest in elderly people. Infective endocarditis is an uncommon disease, with an estimated incidence of 3.1 to 3.7 episodes per 100 000 inhabitants/year.