Endocarditis Flashcards
What is endocarditis?
Infection of the heart valves and other endocardial tissue
Endocarditis is most often seen in which patient populations? (2)
- Older adults (>50)
- Persons who inject drugs (PWID)
What is the pathophysiology of endocarditis? (4)
- Altered endocardial surface produces a suitable site for bacterial attachment and colonization
- Trauma, turbulence, previously damaged valve - Formation of platelet-fibrin thrombus on the altered surface
- Get non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis - Bacteremia
- Formation of vegetation of fibrin, platelets and bacteria
What are the features of acute endocarditis? (5)
- Severe and rapid clinical course
- Often normal valves are involved
- History of bacteremia
- Requires early treatment (as valve may be destroyed in only a few days)
- Often Staphylococcus aureus
What are the features of subacute endocarditis? (4)
- Illness often lasts months before diagnosed
- Usually some form of prior valve disease
- Often a history of dental work or procedures*
- Usually Streptococci or Enterococcal
What is early onset prosthetic valve endocarditis? (4)
- Within 1 year of surgery
- Organisms introduced at time of surgery
- Usually Staphylococci
- Can be gram (-) bacili or fungal
What is late onset prosthetic valve endocarditis? (2)
- After 1 year
- Same organisms as native valve endocarditis (i.e., Strep)
What are the risk factors for endocarditis? (13 - know 5ish?)
- Age over 60 years
- Male
- Structural heart disease
- Prosthetic valve
- Prior infective endocarditits
- Intravenous drug use
- Diabetes mellitus
- Chronic hemodialysis
- Poor oral hygiene
- Intravascular catheter
- Indwelling cardiovascular device
- Skin infection
- Oral hygiene or dental pathology
What are the 3 big bacteria groups that tend to cause endocarditis?
- Staphylococci
- Coagulase positive S. aureus
- Coagulase negative - Streptococci
- Viridans group Streptococci - Enterococci
Where is Streptococci most likely to come from when it comes to endocarditis? (3)
- Mostly coming from oral and respiratory flora
- Dental or respiratory tract procedures may introduce bacteria into bloodstream
- Also group D strep - resides in the GIT
Where is Staph aureus most likely to come from when it comes to endocarditis? (2)
Especially seen in IV drug use and early prosthetic valve endocarditis
Where is Enterococci most likely to come from when it comes to endocarditis? (2)
- From gut or urinary tract
- GI/GU procedure may introduce into blood
What are the common signs and symptoms of endocarditis? (9)
- Fever - 86-96% of cases - may be low grade
- Heart murmur - new (48%) or worsening of old murmur (20%)
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Weight loss
- Arthralgias
- Myalgias
- Nightsweats
- Headache
What are the more rare signs and symptoms of endocarditis? (5)
- Osler nodes
- Purplish SubQ nodules on tips of fingers and toes - Janeway lesions
- Erythematous, nonpainful macules on palms and soles - Splinter hemorrhages
- Petechiae
- Small, red, painless hemorrhagic lesions - eyeball pic - Vascular Embolic event (17%)
IV drug use more often leads to _____ ______ endocarditis.
Often presents as a pulmonary syndrome with these 4 symptoms:
right sided
1. Fever
2. Cough
3. Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
4. Pleuritic chest pain
What type of anemia (morphology) is seen in endocarditis?
Usually normocytic, normochromic anemia
How do the following change in endocarditis:
1. WBCs
2. ESR or CRP
3. RF
- Increased WBC
- May not be increased in subacute form - Increased ESR or CRP
- RF may be increased (in 50% of cases)
How many blood cultures should be taken in endocarditis?
Obtain 3 samples at different times or sites
- May be negative due to previous antibiotic use or difficult to culture organisms