Cahill TJ, et al. - Researchers studied prospectively recorded cases of infective endocarditis (IE) in children and adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) to assess the epidemiology of IE in these patients. In 736 patients with CHD, 800 episodes of IE were reported. Tetralogy of Fallot (22.8%), ventricular septal defect (19.6%) and bicuspid aortic valve (10.7%) were the most common diagnoses. Death before hospital discharge is reported for 1 of 15 patients in modern practice in tertiary congenital centers. The most common causative organism was identified to be streptococci (40% of cases). A significant minority underwent dental or medical procedures in the 3 months prior to diagnosis. In this study, a significantly increased risk of early mortality was reported in relation to the presence of an atrioventricular septal defect or staphylococcal infection.