What is the most common cause of infective endocarditis?
What is the most common cause of infective endocarditis?
Approximately 80% of infective endocarditis cases are caused by the bacteria streptococci and staphylococci. The third most common bacteria causing this disease is enterococci, and, like staphylococci, is commonly associated with healthcare-associated infective endocarditis.
How does IV drug use lead to endocarditis?
Intravenous (IV) drug users are at very high risk of acute endocarditis, because numerous needle punctures give aggressive staph bacteria many opportunities to enter the blood through broken skin. Dirty drug paraphernalia increases the risk. If untreated, this form of endocarditis can be fatal in less than six weeks.
What is the drug of choice for endocarditis?
Treatment with aqueous penicillin or ceftriaxone is effective for most infections caused by streptococci. A combination of penicillin or ampicillin with gentamicin is appropriate for endocarditis caused by enterococci that are not highly resistant to penicillin.
Why is right sided endocarditis more common?
This predilection is believed to be related to the following 3 factors: (1) the relatively higher pressures on the left side of the heart that produce more turbulent flow across the mitral and aortic valves, predisposing them to endothelial damage; (2) the relatively higher oxygen content of the left-side circulation.
Can you fully recover from endocarditis?
Most people who are treated with the proper antibiotics recover. But if the infection isn’t treated, or if it persists despite treatment (for example, if the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics), it’s usually fatal.
What is the survival rate of endocarditis?
Conclusions: Long term survival following infective endocarditis is 50% after 10 years and is predicted by early surgical treatment, age < 55 years, lack of congestive heart failure, and the initial presence of more symptoms of endocarditis.
What are the long term effects of endocarditis?
As a result, endocarditis can cause several complications, including: Heart problems, such as heart murmur, heart valve damage and heart failure. Stroke.
Can antibiotics cure endocarditis?
Many people with endocarditis are successfully treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, surgery may be needed to fix or replace damaged heart valves and clean up any remaining signs of the infection.
What antibiotics treat endocarditis?
Initial empiric therapy in patients with suspected endocarditis should include vancomycin or ampicillin/sulbactam (Unasyn) plus an aminoglycoside (plus rifampin in patients with prosthetic valves). Valve replacement should be considered in selected patients with infectious endocarditis.
What is the mortality rate of endocarditis?
Acute endocarditis due to S aureus is associated with a high mortality rate (30-40%), except when it is associated with IV drug use. Endocarditis due to streptococci has a mortality rate of approximately 10%.
Is there difference between Idu and non Idu endocarditis?
Available literature does not suggest a mortality difference in patients with endocarditis between IDU and non-IDU populations [3]. Usual presentation: fever, chest x-ray with septic emboli, blood culture yields S. aureus, echocardiogram – tricuspid valve vegetations.
What kind of infection is infective endocarditis ( IE )?
What is infective endocarditis? Infective endocarditis (IE), also called bacterial endocarditis (BE), is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel. IE is uncommon, but people with some heart conditions have a greater risk of developing it.
Who is responsible for the management of endocarditis?
Infective endocarditis is a complex disease, and patients with this disease generally require management by a team of physicians and allied health providers with a variety of areas of expertise.
What causes infective endocarditis in the tricuspid valve?
If the cause of IE is injection of illicit drugs or prolonged use of I.V. drugs, the tricuspid valve is most often affected. Street drugs, including narcotics, can also affect the mitral or aortic valve. What are the symptoms of infective endocarditis?
