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Culture-negative endocarditis - Treatment

Alternative Names

Endocarditis (culture-negative)

Treatment:

You will be admitted to the hospital so you can receive medicines through a vein. Long-term, high-dose antibiotic or antifungal treatment is needed. Treatment is usually given for 4 - 6 weeks.

Surgery may be needed to replace damaged heart valves.

Expectations (prognosis):

Heart valves may be damaged if diagnosis and treatment are delayed.

Complications:

Abnormal connections within the heart
Blood clots that travel to brain, kidneys, lungs, or abdomen
Brain abscess
Congestive heart failure
Rapid or irregular heartbeats, including atrial fibrillation
Severe valve damage
Stroke

Culture-negative endocarditis

Reviewed last on: 4/27/2010
Daniel Levy, MD, Infectious Disease, Maryland Family Care, Lutherville, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Fowler VG Jr, Scheld WM, Bayer AS. Endocarditis and Intravascular Infections. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009; chapt 77.

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.

Wilson W, Taubert KA, Gewitz M, et al. Prevention of infective endocarditis: guidelines from the American Heart Association: a guideline from the American Heart Association Rheumatic Fever, Endocarditis, and Kawasaki Disease Committee, Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young, and the Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia, and the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Interdisciplinary Working Group. Circulation. 2007 Oct 9;116(15):1736-54.

Endocarditis

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