New developments in the treatment of infective endocarditis infective cardiovasculitis

The natural history of infective endocarditis has undergone remarkable changes over the past 100 years as regards both the demographic characteristics of the disease and changes in the incidence of the so-called diagnostic signs. Alongside these changes and the development of new and better diagnostic tools and criteria, we are also facing new problems with the precise definition of cardiovascular infections and calculation of the incidence of the disease. Nosocomial endocarditis presents an emerging problem of diagnosis and treatment after heart valve surgery, with pace-maker catheters, defibrillators and a very large variety of foreign materials used in connection with heart valve surgery. New technological progress including new types of prosthetic valves and use of homografts or the Ross operation will give a greater possibility of choosing the best solution in a particular case. Antimicrobial chemotherapy is mainly based on our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and efficacy of the antibiotics achieved in an experimental animal model of endocarditis. Important recommendations of single or combined drug therapy or the dosing regimens of antibiotics are still an expression of expert opinion not always supported by experimental or clinical proof. A typical example is the recommendation of two divided doses of gentamicin for treatment of streptococcal endocarditis. Nevertheless, it is the author's opinion that the development of uncomplicated, easy to handle diagnostic and treatment regimens are justified in order to achieve better compliance with these recommendations.