Infective endocarditis: old problem, new guidelines and still much to learn

Despite major advances in treating valvular heart disease, the in-hospital mortality (15–20%) and 1-year mortality (~=40%) for infective endocarditis (IE) has not improved even with modern antibiotics and surgical therapy. Further, stroke (17%), embolisation other than stroke (23%), heart failure (HF) (32%) and other complications remain common; therefore, all precautions to help prevent IE should be employed where indicated. In underdeveloped countries, IE is most often associated with rheumatic heart disease. In developed countries, IE is increasingly associated with prosthetic valves and intracardiac devices, with the risk of IE being 50 times higher in patients with a prosthetic valve compared with the general population. Other populations that are at higher risk of IE who might benefit from specific precautions or improved systems of care to prevent infection are intravenous drug users, the elderly and those with diabetes mellitus or with other forms of immunosuppression. While the need to prevent...
Source: Heart - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Drugs: cardiovascular system, Echocardiography, Clinical diagnostic tests, Epidemiology, Diabetes, Metabolic disorders Editorials Source Type: research