Prevention of bacterial endocarditis.
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare but severe disease with high mortality, and results most often from the combination of bacteraemia and a predisposing cardiac condition. American Heart Association (AHA) and other national and international organizations have made recommendations for the prevention of IE, although no randomised clinical trial has confirmed its efficacy. The current tendencies of IE prophylaxis, based on 2007 AHA guidelines and recent medical bibliography are presented in our review.
Mazokopakis
Elias E
EE
Department of Internal Medicine, Naval Hospital of Crete, 73 200 Chania, Crete, Greece. emazokopakis@yahoo.gr
Karefilakis
Christos M
CM
Starakis
Ioannis K
IK
D000572:American Heart Association; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D014481:United States