Management of the patient with Infective Endocarditis: a narrative review

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate the diagnostic and therapeutic approach of the patient with Infective Endocarditis (IE), in order to assist in the scientific dissemination of the topic to ratify the importance of discussing the subject. Bibliographic review: IE affects the endocardium, the innermost layer of the heart, and in view of this, there is an inflammatory endothelial lesion with and without vascular damage, depending on the case. The infectious agents responsible for causing IE come mainly from the oral cavity. Furthermore, the diagnosis is made using the modified Duke criteria, which are divided into major and minor criteria. Treatment is based on antibiotic therapy and surgery, but there are still challenges in this management, as the decision on therapy must be individualized for each case and the timing of surgery is problematic. Final considerations: IE needs special attention to avoid functional damage to patients and to find the best therapy for each of them. Also, surgery has a lower mortality rate compared to antibiotic therapy. However, this is the most used.