Table 1 Demographic, clinical, echocardiographic and microbiologic characteristics of the study population, by presence of cerebral embolism

Age (years, median ± IQR)

69 ± 22

69 ± 19

NS

Female gender (N, %)

140 (33.8%)

45 (36.9%)

NS

BMI (median ± IQR)

24.2 ± 5.2

24.0 ± 4.5

NS

Diabetes (N, %)

81 (19.1%)

23 (18.3%)

NS

Dyslipidemia (N, %)

116 (29.3%)

37 (31.6%)

NS

Hypertension (N, %)

250 (59.1%)

73 (57.9%)

NS

Renal failure (N, %)

101 (23.8%)

31 (24.6%)

NS

 Mild

35 (8.2%)

12 (9.5%)

NS

 Moderate

38 (8.9%)

12 (9.5%)

 Severe

13 (3.1%)

5 (4.0%)

 Dyalisis

15 (3.5%)

2 (1.6%)

Cancer (N, %)

95 (22.4%)

22 (17.5%)

NS

PM (N, %)

56 (13.2%)

11 (8.7%)

NS

Oral anticoagulant therapy (N, %)

120 (28%)

40 (32%)

NS

Drug abuse (N, %)

47 (11.1%)

13 (10.3%)

NS

Vegetation length (mm, median ± IQR)

10 ± 11

11 ± 10

0.004

 Site of infection

 Aortic valve (N, %)

235 (55.3%)

60 (47.6%)

0.001

 Mitral valve (N, %)

149 (35.1%)

64 (50.8%)

Tricuspid valve (N, %)

41 (9.6%)

2 (1.6%)

Prosthetic valve (N, %)

172 (40.6%)

50 (39.7%)

NS

Double valve infection (N, %)

69 (16.2%)

23 (18.3%)

NS

Severe valvular dysfunction (N, %)

213 (50.1%)

47 (37.3%)

0.015

Paravalvular extension (N, %)

90 (21.2%)

26 (20.6%)

NS

EF (%,median ± IQR)

58 ± 11

60 ± 10

0.008

TAPSE (mm, median ± IQR)

21 ± 6

19 ± 7

NS

EuroSCORE2 (median ± IQR)

7 ± 12

8 ± 20

NS

Germ (N, %)

 Streptococci

69 (16.2%)

20 (15.9%)

0.025

 S. bovis

37 (8.7%)

4 (3.2%)

 Staphylococcus aureus

69 (16.2%)

34 (27.0%)

 Coagulase negative staphylococci

56 (13.2%)

12 (9.5%)

 Enterococci

88 (20.7%)

18 (14.3%)

 Negative coltures

77 (18.1%)

26 (20.6%)

 Other

29 (6.8%)

12 (9.5%)