OBJECTIVES We sought to evaluate the feasibility and immediate and late results of mitral valve repair (MVRep) for acute and healed endocarditis. BACKGROUND Improvements in techniques of MVRep have extended its feasibility in complex lesions, but experience with endocarditis is limited. METHODS Among 78 patients operated on for mitral endocarditis between 1990 and 1999, 63 underwent MVRep. ...

PURPOSE We sought to determine the appropriate use of echocardiography for patients with suspected endocarditis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We constructed a decision tree and Markov model using published data to simulate the outcomes and costs of care for patients with suspected endocarditis. RESULTS Transesophageal imaging was optimal for patients who had a prior probability of endocarditis that...

acinetobacter lwoffii, an important nosocomial pathogen, is a gram-negative aerobic bacillus that is a component of the normal flora on the skin, oropharynx, and perineum of about 20-25% of healthy individuals. we herein present a case of a 66-year-old man with combined mitral and aortic valve endocarditis associated with multi-drug resistance acinetobacter lowffii bacteremia.

Evidence The recommendations in this article reflect analyses of relevant literature regarding procedure-related endocarditis, in vitro susceptibility data of pathogens causing endocarditis, results of prophylactic studies in animal models of endocarditis, and retrospective analyses of human endocarditis cases in terms of antibiotic prophylaxis usage patterns and apparent prophylaxis failures. ...

Despite the most common occurrence of infection and bacteremia caused by Escherichia coli, endocarditis due to this microorganism is very rare. To date, less than 40 cases of E. coli endocarditis have been reported in the English literature. In gram-negative endocarditis, the prognosis is always poor and need prompt diagnosis and adequate antibiotic therapy to improve the prognosis. Herein, a c...

The use of cardiac pacemakers is increasing worldwide. Infective endocarditis from a pacemaker lead is a rare, but one of the most severe complications of pacemaker insertion. The diagnosis of pacemaker-related infective endocarditis is usually delayed due to unspecific clinical signs and symptoms at presentation compared to native valve infective endocarditis. Several factors can increase the ...

Infective endocarditis is an uncommon disease, with an estimated incidence of 3.1 to 3.7 episodes per 100 000 inhabitants/year. The incidence is highest in elderly people. The microorganisms most frequently isolated in infective endocarditis are staphylococci and streptococci. In the last few decades, the spectrum of heart diseases predisposing to infective endocarditis has changed, since degen...

To compare the diagnostic value of transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography in infective endocarditis, paired transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiograms were obtained prospectively for 66 episodes of suspected endocarditis in 62 patients. Echocardiographic results were compared with the presence or absence of endocarditis determined by pathologic or nonechocardiographic data fr...

tions on short-term therapy (two weeks) for penicillin-sensitive streptococcal endocarditis. Med Clin North Am, July 1958, pp 1 101-1 140 8. Kaye D: Changes in the spectrum, diagnosis and management of bacterial and fungal endocarditis. Med Clin North Am 57: 941, 1973 9. Tan JS, Kaplan S, Terhune CA Jr, Hamburger M: Successful two-week treatment schedule for penicillin-susceptible streptococcus...

BACKGROUND The purpose of this statement is to update the recommendations by the American Heart Association (AHA) for the prevention of infective endocarditis that were last published in 1997. METHODS AND RESULTS A writing group was appointed by the AHA for their expertise in prevention and treatment of infective endocarditis, with liaison members representing the American Dental Association,...