Endocarditis Flashcards
What is bacteriemia?
Bacteraemia is presence of bacteria in the blood - blood is usually sterile, so bacteraemia could result in sepsis.
What is endocarditis?
Inflammation of the inner lining of valves of the heart (usually mitral and aortic), the endocardium.
What is the epidemiology of infective endocarditis?
Usually older than 50
25% mortality
Maybe acute or subacute
What are the risk factors for developing endocarditis?
Heart valve abnormalities such as congenital herat disease, calcification of valves (elderly patients)
Having prosthetic valves
Being an IV drug user or using IV lines
Describe the pathogenesis of infective endocarditis
First step is damage to the heart valve.
This results in turbulent blood flow over the endothelium, leads to platelet and fibrin deposition.
Transient bacteraemia -> organisms settling into the valve set up. They live there creating a microbial vegetation.
Consequences of infective endocarditis?
Microbial vegetations can break off, becoming lodged in a capillary bed.
This can lead to abscess formation or haemorrhage - FATAL!
What are the common causative organisms of endocarditis?
Staph aureous - most common. From the mouth and causes bacteaemia through dental treatment.
Viridans are almost as common as staph A. They also live in the mouth.
What are some atypical gram negative organisms that cause endocarditis?
HACEK Haemophilus Agreggibacter Cardiobacterium Eikenella Kingella
What is the major criteria for diagnosing infective endocarditis?
1) Two seperate positive blood cultures for microorganisms typical for IE.
2) Echocardiographic evidence of endocardial involvement
3) New valvular regurgitation
What is the minor criteria for diagnosing infective endocarditis?
Pyrexial
Predisposition (i.e. heart condition or IV use)
Vascular evidence such as major emboli (from vegetation, haemorrhage, janeway lesions, oslers nodes
Some sort of microbio evidence - positive blood culture doesn’t meet major criteria, or positive serology consistent with IE typical organisms
What is the significance of Staphylococcus Epidermidis in blood cultures?
Could be contaminant from skin (when taking sample!)
Could be from IV drug users or prosthetic valves/joints
Take another set of blood culture to confirm!!!
What is the appearance of staph aureous?
Clusters of cocci, gram positive (stain purple)
What tests should be performed to determine strain/microorganism?
Use media to create colony
Use MALDI TOF profile spectrum to identify species.
What is the clinical presentation of acute IE?
Overwhelming sepsis and cardiac failure (heart unable to pump blood to match body’s needs)
What are the symptoms of subacute IE?
Fever Malaise Weight loss Tiredness Breathlessnes