Endocarditis

This lining is called the endocardium. This is usually caused by an infection. Bacteria, fungi, or other germs enter the bloodstream and attach to damaged areas of the heart. This, often from a bacterial infection, inflames the lining of your heart’s valves and chambers. Treatment involves several weeks of antibiotics or other medications and sometimes surgery. With prompt, aggressive treatment, many people survive. Without treatment, This can be fatal. Endocarditis is inflammation of the inner lining of your heart, called the endocardium. It is usually cause by bacteria. When inflammation is cause by an infection, the condition is called infective endocarditis. Endocarditis

What causes endocarditis?

The main cause of This is bacterial overgrowth. Although these bacteria usually live on surfaces inside or outside your body, you can get them into your bloodstream from food or drink. Bacteria can also enter your skin or oral cavity through cuts. Your immune system usually fights germs before they cause problems, but this process fails in some people.

In the case of infective This, the bacteria travel through your bloodstream and into your heart, where they multiply and cause inflammation. Endocarditis can also be cause by fungi or other bacteria.

Eating and drinking isn’t the only way germs can enter your body.

Brushing your teeth
Poor oral hygiene or gum disease
There is a dental procedure that cuts your gums.
Contracting a sexually transmitted disease
Using a contaminated needle
By an indwelling urinary catheter or intravenous catheter
Most of the time, the bacterial infection causes This . Dental procedures (especially tooth extractions) and endoscopic exams can cause bacteria to enter your bloodstream. Sometimes, bacteria from your mouth, skin, intestines, respiratory system or urinary tract can enter your bloodstream when you:

• the meal.
• Brushing your teeth.
• Flossing your teeth.
• Pooping

Symptoms

Symptoms of endocarditis are not always severe and may develop gradually over time. This is the reason why many cases go undiagnosed.

These symptoms can be cause by inflammation or associate damage.

Common symptoms of endocarditis include:

Symptoms can appear suddenly and can be severe. Or, they may be gradual and less severe. Symptoms may include:

• Fever or chills.
• Night sweats.
• Fatigue
• Muscle and joint pain
• Shortness of breath with activity
• Shortness of breath when lying down
• Cough
• Nausea
• vomit
• Headache
• Blood in the urine
• Swelling in the feet, legs, or abdomen
• Weight loss
• Abnormal skin changes that may include:
• Red or purple spots on fingers or toes
• Painless, small, flat red spots on the skin, under the nails, on the whites of your eyes, and inside your mouth.
• Fever above 100°F (38.4°C).
• Sweating or chills, especially night sweats.
• skin friction.
• Pain, tenderness, redness, or swelling.
• A wound or cut that won’t heal.
• Red, hot, or dry sores.
• Sore throat, sore throat, or pain when swallowing.
• Runny nose, nasal congestion, headache, or tenderness along your upper cheekbones.
• Persistent dry or a wet cough that lasts more than two days.

How is bacterial endocarditis treated?

Antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment for bacterial This. These include the type of bacteria, and if you have a prosthetic heart valve. A team of healthcare providers will work together to decide the best treatment plan for you. The team will likely include a cardiologist, an infectious disease doctor, a pharmacist, and a heart surgeon. A surgeon is involved if your heart has suffered extensive damage and may require surgery.

You will need to take antibiotics for some weeks. First, you will be give antibiotics through an IV line. You may need to live at least the first week of treatment in the hospital. After that, you may be able to receive IV antibiotics at home with home care.

If your valves are severely damage, you may need heart valve surgery. This is done to repair or replace the damage heart valve. Or you may need surgery to help clear up the endocarditis. This can be done if antibiotics don’t work well enough on the infection.

What can I do to prevent bacterial endocarditis?

Not all cases of microorganism carditis are often prevent. however, you’ll scale back a number of these risks. as an example, prompt treatment of a strep infection will facilitate forestall rheumatic cardiopathy. No mistreatment of IV medications will lower your risk. Keeping your mouth clean and healthy can even scale back your risk.

You may have to be compell to take antibiotics before bound medical and dental procedures. This helps forestall carditis if you have got a synthetic heart valve. or if you have got had a heart valve repair with a synthetic material. you’ll have to be compell to take antibiotics if you have got bound kinds of noninheritable cardiopathy, a history of carditis, or have had a heart transplant with a heart valve. Tell all of your health care suppliers and dentists about your heart health history.

What tests will be done to diagnose endocarditis?

• Blood cultures that show bacteria or microorganisms that health care providers often see with This. Blood cultures – blood tests taken over time – allow the laboratory to isolate the specific bacteria that are causing your infection. To secure the diagnosis, the laboratory should take a blood culture before you start taking antibiotics.
• A complete blood count can tell your provider if you have an abnormally high white blood cell count
• An echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) that shows growth (growths on your valve), abscess (hole), new regurgitation (leak) or stenosis (narrowing), or a prosthetic heart valve that has started to pull away from your heart tissue. Can show. But Sometimes providers insert an ultrasound probe into your esophagus or “food pipe” (transesophageal echo) to get a closer look at your heart.
• Check heart valve tissue to find out what type of bacteria you have.
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET) or nuclear medicine scans use radioactive material to create images that can show the location of the infection.