Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis is:

• Infection of the inside of your heart

The infection may be on the lining of your heart chambers or on your heart valves.

• Infective endocarditis happens when bacteria get into your blood and travel to your heart

• Infective endocarditis happens mainly in abnormal heart tissue, such as occurs when you have a birth defect of the heart or damaged heart valves, or if you have an artificial heart valve

• Infection can damage heart valves so they don't work right and cause heart failure

• Doctors do blood tests and an echocardiogram to see if you have infective endocarditis

• Doctors treat infective endocarditis with antibiotics and sometimes heart surgery

• If you have an artificial heart valve or a birth defect in your heart, you may need to take antibiotics before surgery or a dental procedure to prevent endocarditis

Infective endocarditis is caused by bacteria or fungi that get into your blood and travel to your heart. Bacteria can get into your blood when you have:

• A skin infection such as cellulitis or a skin abscess

• A urinary tract infection

• Severe gum disease

• Certain kinds of surgery or dental procedures

• An IV for a long time

You have a higher risk of getting infective endocarditis if you:

• Were born with a heart problem

• Have an abnormal or damaged heart valve

• Inject recreational drugs

• Have a weak immune system

• Have an artificial heart valve, pacemaker, or defibrillator

• Had infective endocarditis in the past

Infective endocarditis usually develops slowly. But sometimes it comes on quickly.

Subacute infective endocarditis is when endocarditis develops slowly, over weeks to months. You gradually develop symptoms such as:

• Tiredness

• Low fever (99° to 101° F or 37.2° to 38.3° C)

• Weight loss

• Sweating

Acute infective endocarditis starts suddenly, and you become very ill quickly. One of your heart valves may be severely damaged within days. Symptoms include:

• High fever (102° to 104° F or 38.9° to 40° C)

• Extreme tiredness

• Difficulty breathing

With either type of endocarditis, you may also have:

• Chills

• Joint pain

• Pale skin

• Painful lumps under your skin

Sometimes infected material from your heart spreads through your blood to other parts of your body. You may get infections in your lungs, brain, kidneys, or other organs.

Doctors suspect infective endocarditis from your symptoms. To know for sure, they'll do:

• Echocardiography (an ultrasound of your heart)

• Blood tests to look for bacteria

Doctors treat infective endocarditis using:

• Antibiotics, given by vein (IV), for at least 2 weeks and up to 8 weeks

• Sometimes, heart surgery to fix or replace a damaged heart valve

To prevent infective endocarditis:

• Don't inject recreational drugs

• Treat infections quickly

• Take good care of your teeth and gums

If you're at high risk of infective endocarditis, you need to be particularly careful of these things. In addition, some high-risk people may also need to:

• Take antibiotics before certain dental or surgical procedures that can let bacteria into the body

Ask your doctor whether you're at high risk.