Endocardite infettiva nei pazienti pediatrici con malformazioni cardiache congenite: risultati da uno studio multicentrico nazionale.

Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), however, data on its epidemiology, risk factors, symptoms, complications, and outcomes remain scarce. This retrospective multicenter study analyzed pediatric patients (< 18 years) with CHD diagnosed with IE between 2008 and 2023. Clinical data-including demographic information, cardiac history, echocardiographic findings, microbiological results, treatment strategies, and outcomes-were collected and analyzed. A total of 41 patients were included. The most common risk factors were prior cardiac surgery or percutaneous intervention, prosthetic materials,