12th March 2024

Background

Infective endocarditis (IE) defines an infection involving the innermost lining of the heart- the endocardium. It includes infections affecting the cardiac valves, the chordae tendineae and the mural endocardium. The incidence of IE is rising and is estimated at 3-10 cases per 100,000 per year. Despite recent advancements relating to diagnosis and management of IE, prognosis remains poor, with an inpatient mortality of approximately 22%. Risk factors for IE include the following:

• Previous history of IE
• Presence of prosthetic heart valves
• Specific types of congenital heart disease
• Presence of cardiac devices or intravascular catheters
• History of intravenous drug use

Frequent aetiological agents involved in IE are listed below:

• Streptococci viridans
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Enterococci 
• Coagulase-negative staphylococci
• Brucella species
• Coxiella burnetii
• Culture-negative Haemophilus species, Aggregatibacter, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corrodens and Kingella species (HACEK group of organisms)