[Treatment of infective endocarditis].

Abstract

TREATMENT OF INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS. Patients with infective endocarditis (IE) are taken care for by multidisciplinary teams. The treatment consists of antibiotic therapy initiated early, adapted to the responsible germ and prolonged, associated with surgical treatment when there is an indication for surgery. A parenteral antibiotic therapy is initiated in hospital for a period of at least two weeks. Depending on evolution of the patients, outpatient antibiotic treatment may be considered, and oral antibiotics may be proposed in stable patients when IE is caused by the most frequent germs. The surgical treatment of IE consists of total excision of the infected tissues and aims to restore the integrity of valvular functions. Conservative surgical treatment is performed, when possible, otherwise valve replacement is the alternative. The recognition of surgical indications (heart failure, uncontrolled infection, and prevention of embolic risk) is essential to improve the prognosis.