Infective endocarditis

Abstract

Infective endocarditis is defined as infection of a heart valve or other cardiac tissue. This diagnosis has broadened beyond infections involving native cardiac tissue or prosthetic heart valves to include infections of implanted intracardiac devices. Despite progress in the ability to accurately diagnose infective endocarditis in the modern era, the outcomes are still quite poor with respect to its associated morbidity and mortality. The focus of this chapter will be to review the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and guideline-focused management of infective endocarditis and intracardiac device infections. In addition, the current recommendations for antibiotic prophylaxis of infective endocarditis will be reviewed.