This single-center, prospective observational study evaluates the accuracy of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to rule out infective endocarditis (IE) in patients with suspected IE, with the goal of reducing unnecessary transesophageal echocardiography (TOE), a more invasive diagnostic test.
Eligible patients are those admitted to the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences at Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS (Rome, Italy) who undergo TOE for suspected IE within 15 days of a TTE.
Clinical, laboratory, and echocardiographic variables will be collected to characterize the study population and support analyses of diagnostic performance and in-hospital outcomes.