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Culture-negative endocarditis - Prevention

Alternative Names

Endocarditis (culture-negative)

Prevention:

Preventive antibiotics are often given to people at risk for infectious endocarditis before dental procedures or surgeries involving the respiratory, urinary, or intestinal tract. The American Heart Association antibiotics before a dental procedure if you have:

Artificial heart valves
Certain congenital heart defects, both before or possibly after repair
History of infective endocarditis
Valve problems after a heart transplant

Continued medical follow-up is recommended for people with a previous history of infectious endocarditis.

Persons who use intravenous drugs should seek treatment for addiction. If this is not possible, use a new needle for each injection, avoiding sharing any injection-related paraphernalia, and use alcohol pads before injecting to reduce risk.

Culture-negative endocarditis

Reviewed last on: 4/25/2008
Mark Levin, MD, Division of Infectious Disease, MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005; pp 975-1022.

Karchmer AW. Infective Endocarditis. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. St. Louis, Mo: WB Saunders; 2007: chap 63.

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