Endocarditis is the inflammation of the endocardium (the inner lining) of the myocardium and the heart valves. Endocarditis is a rare condition and is most commonly infective, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity from both intracardiac and systemic effects. Endocarditis occasionally presents as an acute and fulminating disease, but more often, it presents insidiously. The term ‘infective endocarditis’ (IE) is now preferred to the previously used ‘bacterial endocarditis’ as not all the infecting organisms are bacterial.
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