Bacteremia and Endocarditis Flashcards
What is bacterimia?
presence of bacteria in the blood
What is fungemia?
presence of fungi in the blood
Sepsis signs and symptoms
fever, tachycardia, rigors, etc and organisms are present in the blood
What is transient bacteremia?
Brief duration of bacteremia
Related to some event or procedure
Typically asymptomatic or brief symptoms
E.g. dental work, childbirth, radiology tests, cystoscopy
What is septic shock?
serious complication of bacteremia
Major physiological event incl. dilation of large numbers of capillaries. Circulating blood volume decreases to fill capillaries causing BP decrease
What is lipopolysaccharide and how does it contribute to septic shock?
Lipid A portion of endotoxins
Found in the walls of gram-negative bacilli
Causes vasodilation of vessels as it’s released
What is an indicator of meningococcemia?
Multiple small hemorrhages (petichiae) over entire body
Caused by Neisseria Meningiditis
What are indicators of Gonococcemia?
Caused by Neisseria gonorrheae
Relatively asymptomatic; presents with: arthritis, 1-2 small skin lesions that may appear as blisters
What may Pseudomonas Aeruginosa cause as a BSI in neutropenic patients?
small infarcts that appear as red lesions that turn black and necrotic in the centre
What is “scalded skin syndrome”?
widespread erythema and skin peeling caused by Staphylococcus aureus
What is infective endocarditis?
infection of the heart valves
Most common in those with artificial valves, poor dentition or IV drug users
Which class of organism most commonly causes infective endocarditis?
Gram-positive organisms
E.g. Staphylococcus aureus, viridans group streptococci and enterococci
Which two valves are most commonly affected by Infective endocarditis?
mitral and aortic
What is right-sided endocarditis?
infection of the tricuspid valve
common in IVD users
What is the treatment for endocarditis?
Depending on the organism, prolonged (4-6 wks) of antibiotics
