ABSTRACT
DEFINITION ■ Infective endocarditis-results from infection primarily of
valvular endocardium and occasionally mural endocardium
CLASSIFICATION AND ETIOLOGY ■ Endocarditis can be classified according to
▲ Microorganisms involved (Table 1) ▲ Type of valve affected (native vs. prosthetic) ▲ Clinical course (acute vs. subacute)
EPIDEMIOLOGY ■ Incidence/prevalence in U.S.—1.7-4.2/100,000 population;
0.32-1.3/1,000 hospital admissions ■ Predominant age-all ages, increased incidence among
elderly patients (>70 years) ■ Predominant sex
▲ Male-aortic valve ▲ Female-mitral valve
CLINICAL PRESENTATION Signs and Symptoms ■ Generally due to cytokine release, microemboli, congestive
heart failure, and other organ involvement ■ Look for
▲ Fever • May be high, low, or absent • May be only symptom in prosthetic valve endocarditis
▲ Heart murmur
Ta bl
e 1 .
