Right-sided endocarditis and ventricular septal defect. (1/1897)

Right-sided endocarditis occurred in a 40-year-old woman with ventricular septal defect. This association is uncommon in adults. Because of the changing and variable clinical patterns of this disease, it is difficult to make a prompt diagnosis. In this case diagnosis was delayed for almost a year. The occurrence of pneumonia due to Streptococcus viridans was the most important extracardiac manifestation.  (+info)

Effect of warfarin on the induction and course of experimental endocarditis. (2/1897)

The effect of warfarin treatment on an experimental endocarditis was studied in rabbits. Warfarin had no effect on the induction of a Streptococcus sanguis infection in catheter-induced endocardial vegetations, and the course of this infection was also unaltered. However, warfarin treatment resulted in rapidly progressive bacteremia, probably due to impaired circulation in clearing organs such as the lungs, liver, and spleen. Warfarin also reduced the survival time of the infected rabbits, in which pulmonary edema and extensive lung hemorrhages may have been a contributory factor.  (+info)

Infective endocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus: 59 prospectively identified cases with follow-up. (3/1897)

Fifty-nine consecutive patients with definite Staphylococcus aureus infective endocarditis (IE) by the Duke criteria were prospectively identified at our hospital over a 3-year period. Twenty-seven (45.8%) of the 59 patients had hospital-acquired S. aureus bacteremia. The presumed source of infection was an intravascular device in 50.8% of patients. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed evidence of IE in 20 patients (33.9%), whereas transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) revealed evidence of IE in 48 patients (81.4%). The outcome for patients was strongly associated with echocardiographic findings: 13 (68.4%) of 19 patients with vegetations visualized by TTE had an embolic event or died of their infection vs. five (16.7%) of 30 patients whose vegetations were visualized only by TEE (P < .01). Most patients with S. aureus IE developed their infection as a consequence of a nosocomial or intravascular device-related infection. TEE established the diagnosis of S. aureus IE in many instances when TTE was nondiagnostic. Visualization of vegetations by TTE may provide prognostic information for patients with S. aureus IE.  (+info)

Two-step acquisition of resistance to the teicoplanin-gentamicin combination by VanB-type Enterococcus faecalis in vitro and in experimental endocarditis. (4/1897)

The activity of vancomycin and teicoplanin combined with gentamicin was investigated in vitro against strains of Enterococcus faecalis resistant to vancomycin and susceptible to teicoplanin (VanB type) and against mutants that had acquired resistance to teicoplanin by three different mechanisms. In vitro, gentamicin selected mutants with two- to sixfold increases in the level of resistance to this antibiotic at frequencies of 10(-6) to 10(-7). Teicoplanin selected teicoplanin-resistant mutants at similar frequencies. Both mutations were required to abolish the activity of the gentamicin-teicoplanin combination. As expected, simultaneous acquisition of the two types of mutations was not observed. In therapy with gentamicin or teicoplanin alone, each selected mutants in three of seven rabbits with aortic endocarditis due to VanB-type E. faecalis BM4275. The vancomycin-gentamicin combination selected mutants that were resistant to gentamicin and to the combination. In contrast, the teicoplanin-gentamicin regimen prevented the emergence of mutants resistant to one or both components of the combination. These results suggest that two mutations are also required to suppress the in vivo activity of the teicoplanin-gentamicin combination.  (+info)

Efficacy of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone in treatment of experimental endocarditis due to Enterococcus faecalis strains highly resistant to aminoglycosides. (5/1897)

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the in vitro possibilities of ampicillin-ceftriaxone combinations for 10 Enterococcus faecalis strains with high-level resistance to aminoglycosides (HLRAg) and to assess the efficacy of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone, both administered with humanlike pharmacokinetics, for the treatment of experimental endocarditis due to HLRAg E. faecalis. A reduction of 1 to 4 dilutions in MICs of ampicillin was obtained when ampicillin was combined with a fixed subinhibitory ceftriaxone concentration of 4 micrograms/ml. This potentiating effect was also observed by the double disk method with all 10 strains. Time-kill studies performed with 1 and 2 micrograms of ampicillin alone per ml or in combination with 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 micrograms of ceftriaxone per ml showed a > or = 2 log10 reduction in CFU per milliliter with respect to ampicillin alone and to the initial inoculum for all 10 E. faecalis strains studied. This effect was obtained for seven strains with the combination of 2 micrograms of ampicillin per ml plus 10 micrograms of ceftriaxone per ml and for six strains with 5 micrograms of ceftriaxone per ml. Animals with catheter-induced endocarditis were infected intravenously with 10(8) CFU of E. faecalis V48 or 10(5) CFU of E. faecalis V45 and were treated for 3 days with humanlike pharmacokinetics of 2 g of ampicillin every 4 h, alone or combined with 2 g of ceftriaxone every 12 h. The levels in serum and the pharmacokinetic parameters of the humanlike pharmacokinetics of ampicillin or ceftriaxone in rabbits were similar to those found in humans treated with 2 g of ampicillin or ceftriaxone intravenously. Results of the therapy for experimental endocarditis caused by E. faecalis V48 or V45 showed that the residual bacterial titers in aortic valve vegetations were significantly lower in the animals treated with the combinations of ampicillin plus ceftriaxone than in those treated with ampicillin alone (P < 0.001). The combination of ampicillin and ceftriaxone showed in vitro and in vivo synergism against HLRAg E. faecalis.  (+info)

Infective endocarditis and dentistry: outcome-based research. (6/1897)

Antibiotic prophylaxis for prevention of infective endocarditis has long been recommended for patients receiving dental care. Two studies of patients with endocarditis found limited risk associated with dental treatment. It is imperative that guidelines for therapy be based on outcome studies and on evidence of safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness.  (+info)

A critical appraisal of the quality of the management of infective endocarditis. (7/1897)

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of the management of infective endocarditis. BACKGROUND: Although many guidelines on the management of infective endocarditis exist, the quality of this management has not been evaluated. METHODS: We collected data on all patients (116) hospitalized with infective endocarditis over 1 year in all hospitals in the Rhone-Alpes region (France). RESULTS: Prophylactic antibiotics were not given before infective endocarditis to 8/11 cardiac patients at risk and who underwent an at risk procedure. Among the 55 cardiac patients at risk and with fever and who consulted a physician, blood cultures were not performed before antibiotic therapy was initiated for 32 patients. In-hospital antibiotic therapy was incorrect for 23 patients. The portal of entry was not treated for 16/61 patients with an accessible portal of entry. Among the 19 patients who had severe heart failure or fever persisting more than 2 weeks in spite of antibiotic therapy and who could have undergone early surgery, surgery was delayed for five, and not performed for three. Overall, the average score was 15/20. CONCLUSIONS: More information on the management of infective endocarditis should be widely disseminated to the physicians' and the dentists' communities and to the patients at risk.  (+info)

Endocarditis at the millennium. (8/1897)

The members of the Interplanetary Society (Pus Club) have made significant contributions to the understanding of the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis (IE). Although the incidence of IE has essentially remained unchanged, the spectrum and characteristics of patients potentially affected by this disorder are expanding. Moreover, in addition to the typical microorganisms implicated in IE, there are increasing reports of new or atypical pathogens causing IE, including those that are resistant to standard antibiotic therapy. The infectious diseases community is challenged to continue to provide effective antimicrobial regimens for IE and to further develop diagnostic and surgical strategies to identify and treat patients with this disorder. New information is available regarding the demographics, diagnostic methods, and therapeutic options for the management of IE.  (+info)