Timing and indications for surgery
Overview of indications and timing for surgery The indications and timing of surgery for infective endocarditis (IE) is complex and nuanced. General considerations in deciding whether to operate and when…
Surgery for right-sided infective endocarditis
Introduction Right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) most commonly occurs in the setting of intravenous drug use (IVDU) and has taken on increasing surgical significance as the opioid crisis has driven increased…
Endocarditis related to cardiovascular implantable devices
Introduction Cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including the permanent pacemaker (PPM), implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices, provide life-saving intervention for a variety of clinically indicated…
Echocardiographic assessment of infectious endocarditis
Echocardiography is an essential imaging modality for the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis. It is often the first imaging study ordered when endocarditis is suspected, and serial echocardiographic exams…
Psychiatric considerations in patients with intravenous drug use and endocarditis
Introduction Opioid use disorder (OUD) with injection drug use has reached epidemic levels with endocarditis as a major potential medical complication increasing the risk of mortality. There has been an…
Neurologic complications of infective endocarditis
Introduction Despite modern advances in the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis (IE), inpatient mortality rate for patients with IE remains high at 15%–20% [ ]. In IE patients with…
Other imaging in the assessment of infective endocarditis
Introduction Current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for the diagnosis and management of infective endocarditis (IE) require the association of…
Postoperative care of the critically ill endocarditis patient
Introduction The postoperative course of patients with infective endocarditis is marked by relatively high mortality, with increased risk of severe complications leading to prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital…
Preoperative care of the critically ill endocarditis patient
Introduction In-hospital mortality for patients with infective endocarditis (managed medically and/or surgically) remains high, ranging from 10% to 20% [ ]. At 6 months, nearly 30% of patients will have…
Epidemiology and pathophysiology of infective endocarditis
Epidemiology Introduction The clinical features of infective endocarditis were first described in the 16th century by Jean François Fernel, a French physician who first introduced the term ‘physiology’ to describe…
