Infective Endocarditiis (IE)

IE, in other words means the inflammation of endocardium in response to infection by a microbes. this will cause the formation of vegetations leading to destruction of underlying cardiac tissue. Bacteria is the organism that involved in most cases of IE; so antibiotics is essential in the treatment

according to many epidemological study; people at risk for IE:

• patients with cardiac abnormality (e.g., chronic valvular disease) 
• patients with small ventricular septal defect 
• patient with prosthetic valve 
• intravenous drug abusers

most common causative agent of infective endocarditis:

• alpha-hemolytic streptococci (50-60% of cases); attacking deformed valve 
• staph aureus  attacks both deformed or healthy valve

infective Endocarditis (IE) could be classified into:

1. acute infective endocarditis (AIE)
2. Subacute infective endocarditis (SIE)

Subacute infective endocarditis:
organism involved is alpha-hemolytic streptococci (in contrast to Rheumatic fever which is caused by beta-hemolytics. SIE characterized by vegetation & granulation at the basis of vegetations. most patient will recover properly by antibiotics where in acute infective endocarditis more than 50% will die withing a week.