Bacterial Endocarditis
Bacterial Endocarditis
What is bacterial endocarditis?
Bacterial endocarditis (BE) is an infection of the valves and inner lining of the heart (called the endocardium). It happens when bacteria from the skin, mouth or intestines enter the bloodstream and infect the heart valves and lining.
Who gets bacterial endocarditis?
Although BE can occur in anyone, people with a heart valve problem, an artificial valve or a heart defect are at greatest risk. Having a heart murmur sometimes increases the chances of getting BE. Your doctor can usually determine whether you have a type of heart murmur that increases your risk of BE.
Do medical and dental procedures increase the risk of BE?
If you have a more serious case of bacterial endocarditis, dental work (including professional teeth cleaning) and some medical procedures (such as colonoscopy, cysoscopy and sigmoidoscopy) increase the risk of bacteria entering the bloodstream.
Can BE be prevented?
If you have a heart defect or valve problem, be sure to inform your doctor or dentist. If you have your teeth cleaned or have another one of the procedures mentioned above and your case of BE is severe, you may need antibiotics prior to the procedure. The antibiotics can help keep bacteria from surviving in your bloodstream. Check with your doctor to see if your case is severe enough to require antibiotics before a dental or surgical procedure.
How can you tell if you have BE?
Fever, chills and other flu-like symptoms may be the only signs of BE. Other symptoms are unexplained weight loss and weakness. Your doctor may suspect you have BE if he or she hears abnormal heart sounds with a stethoscope. Your doctor will then need to do more tests, such as blood tests and echocardiography (looking at the heart by using ultrasound) to find out if you have BE.
How is BE treated?
BE is treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics are usually started intravenously (through an IV) in the hospital, but many people can finish their treatment at home. For more complicated infections, heart surgery may be needed.
Are there complications of BE?
Once infected, your heart may not pump blood as well as it did before. This is called heart failure. Other problems include irregularities of the heartbeat, damage to the heart muscle and blood clots. If BE isn't treated, it can lead to death.
Other Organizations
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American Heart Association
7272 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231
1-800-242-8721
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
301-496-4236
Source
Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.
Management of Bacterial Endocarditis by BE Giessel, MD; CJ Koenig, MD; RL Blake Jr, MD (American Family Physician March 15, 2000, http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000315/1725.html)
Reviewed/Updated: 06/07
Created: 09/00
Copyright © 2000-2008 American Academy of Family Physicians
|This article provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this article applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.
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|This article provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this article applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.
For private, noncommercial use only.
Home | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | About This Site | What's New |