title: Guidelines for the diagnosis and antibiotic treatment of endocarditis in adults: a report of the Working Party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
abstract: The BSAC guidelines on treatment of infectious endocarditis (IE) were last published in 2004. The guidelines presented here have been updated and extended to reflect developments in diagnostics, new trial data and the availability of new antibiotics. The aim of these guidelines, which cover both native valve and prosthetic valve endocarditis, is to standardize the initial investigation and treatment of IE. An extensive review of the literature using a number of different search criteria has been carried out and cited publications used to support any changes we have made to the existing guidelines. Publications referring to in vitro or animal models have only been cited if appropriate clinical data are not available. Randomized, controlled trials suitable for the development of evidenced-based guidelines in this area are still lacking and therefore a consensus approach has again been adopted for most recommendations; however, we have attempted to grade the evidence, where possible. The guidelines have also been extended by the inclusion of sections on clinical diagnosis, echocardiography and surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. kate.gould@nuth.nhs.uk
authors.forename: F Kate
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Denning
authors.forename: Tom S J
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Juliet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Foweraker
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Bernard D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Prendergast
authors.forename: Jonathan A T
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Sandoe
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Spry
authors.forename: Richard W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Watkin
authors.lastname: Working Party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004696:Endocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009181:Mycoses / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents