Between January 1986 and June 1994, 23 patients underwent surgical intervention for infective endocarditis at Wonkwang University Hospital. There were 13 male and 5 female, ran ing in age from 13 to 67(mean 43.7 $pm$ 5.8) years. 21 had native valve endocarditis and 2 had prosthetic valve endocardits. The most common causative organism was streptococci in 9 patients, and the others were staphylococci in 7 patients and unknown in 7 patients. The infection was in the mitral valve in 10 patients, the aortic valve in 6 patients, the aortic and mitral In 5 patients, 2 in tricuspid. Surgical indications for surgery were intractable congestive heart failure, giant growing vegetation and severe valvular insufficiency. There were 3 perioperative death (13%) and no late death. The main causes of death were cerebral embolism in 2 due to recurrent endocarditis and low cardiac output in 1. By NYHA functional classification, all patients were in class III or IV preoperatively, and all patients were improved postoperatively with HYHA functional classification in class I or II. In conclussion, early operative intervention is life-salving in patients with persistent or progres ive congestive heart failure, irrespective of the activity of the infectious process or the duration of antibiotic therapy.