ABSTRACT
In any discussion of intravenous drug abuser infective endocarditis (IVDA IE), it is important to keep in mind that this form of valvular infection closely resembles the other types of IE, especially healthcare-associated infective endocarditis (HCIE). At first glance, to make such an association appears a bit outlandish. However, on closer inspection, it becomes more apparent that the pathogenesis of IVDA IE does parallel that of HCIE. Both forms are usually the consequence of some intravascular intervention albeit that of the IVDA is one that occurs without protocols or much of an attempt at sterile technique. The involved organisms are very much the same. Intravenous drug abuser IE and its growing association with HIV infection bridges the gap between native valve endocarditis and the immunosuppressed patient.
