Acute presentations of infective endocarditis

Long and Koyfman have highlighted the acute presentation of infective endocarditis (IE) in intravenous drug users [1]. The acute presentation includes a range of pulmonary stigmata which may dominate the clinical picture almost to the exclusion of an index of suspicion for IE. Those stigmata include chest pain, cough, haemoptysis, pulmonary infarction, lung abscess, pleural effusion, and empyema, respectively, all ultimately attributable to septic emboli [2]. Another acute presentation is the one characterised by acute left ventricular failure and severe breathlessness as a result of IE-related acute aortic valve regurgitation.
Source: The American Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Source Type: research