Infective endocarditis

Your body usually fends off all kinds of infections including of the heart, but when it doesn’t, you want fast, expert care. At Aurora, you have a team of cardiologists, cardiac surgeons and infectious disease specialists to care for you and help you on the road to recovery.

What is infective endocarditis?

Infective endocarditis is an infection in the inner lining of your heart chambers and valves. This inner membrane is called the endocardium.

The infection develops when microorganisms, usually bacteria, enter your bloodstream and travel to your heart, where they attach and infect the lining and valves. Fungi and other microbes can also cause endocarditis. If not treated quickly, endocarditis can damage your heart valves.

Usually, your immune system destroys any harmful bacteria and other microorganisms that enter your bloodstream. But sometimes under certain conditions, microbes normally found in your mouth, respiratory tract, intestinal system or other parts of your body can cause endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis symptoms

The signs of infective endocarditis may be subtle or similar to other common conditions. That’s why it’s important to see your doctor if you have any symptoms so you can get treatment as quickly as possible to stop the infection.

With infective endocarditis, you may have:

• Flu-like symptoms like fatigue, fever, chills, headache, and aching muscles and joints
• A new heart murmur or a change in an existing heart murmur
• A wound that won’t heal
• Blood in your urine
• Night sweats
• Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
• Persistent cough
• Shortness of breath
• Sinus drainage and nasal congestion
• Skin changes, such as paleness or small painful bumps or spots from broken blood vessels
• Sore throat or pain when you swallow
• Swelling in your feet, legs or abdomen
• Tenderness in your upper cheekbones
• White patches in your mouth or on your tongue

Infective endocarditis causes & risk factors

While endocarditis is uncommon, the infection can come from many sources. Risk factors and ways the harmful bacteria might enter your bloodstream include:

• Poor dental care, such as tooth brushing or dental procedures that cause minor injury to the mouth or gums
• Long-term catheter use, implanted cardiovascular devices, chronic skin disorders, burns or infectious diseases
• Illegal drug use using contaminated needles and syringes

If untreated, infective endocarditis can lead to other serious conditions. The infecting microbes in your heart can clump, break loose and travel to other parts of your body. This can cause damage to your central nervous system, kidneys, spleen, brain or lungs.

Infective endocarditis diagnosis

To determine if you have infective endocarditis, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and perform a thorough physical exam. They may order testing, such as:

• Blood tests to identify any bacteria or other microbes in your bloodstream, as well as the number of white and red blood cells, which can signal an infection
• Echocardiogram, a heart ultrasound such as a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) or transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE), to see images of your heart’s valves and other structures
• Electrocardiogram (EKG) to see if something is affecting your heart’s electrical activity

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Infective endocarditis treatment

Many times, antibiotics successfully treat endocarditis. If you’re diagnosed with infective endocarditis, we’ll most likely give you intravenous antibiotics for several weeks. You may spend some time in the hospital to make sure the antibiotics are working, and then continue your treatment at home.

Sometimes, we may recommend surgery to treat endocarditis caused by a fungus, or to repair or replace a damaged heart valve. Our specialists are recognized as among the best in the nation for heart valve repair and replacement. And whenever possible, we’ll recommend minimally invasive procedures so you can heal faster and easier.