title: Current controversies in infective endocarditis.
abstract: Infective endocarditis is a life-threatening disease caused by a focus of infection within the heart. For clinicians and scientists, it has been a moving target that has an evolving microbiology and a changing patient demographic. In the absence of an extensive evidence base to guide clinical practice, controversies abound. Here, we review three main areas of uncertainty: first, in prevention of infective endocarditis, including the role of antibiotic prophylaxis and strategies to reduce health care-associated bacteraemia; second, in diagnosis, specifically the use of multimodality imaging; third, we discuss the optimal timing of surgical intervention and the challenges posed by increasing rates of cardiac device infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Oxford University Hospitals, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Cahill
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, St Thomas's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Bernard D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Prendergast
keywords: Antibiotic prophylaxis; Bacteraemia; Cardiac device infection; Infective endocarditis; Multimodality imaging; Transcatheter valves