ENDOCARDITIS-VALVULAR

SUMMARY

1. Endocarditis occurring within 2 months of prosthetic valve placement means the valve was seeded when the valve was implanted.
2. It is harder to treat (especially if S. epidermidis); if there is no response to 1 round of adequate antibiotics, replace the valve.
3. If it has been > 2 months since the prosthetic valve placement, antibiotic treatment is generally sufficient.

Reference(s)

Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].