Infective endocarditis is an infection of the endocardial surface of the heart and usually involves one or more heart valves but may occur on septal defects or the heart wall. Its incidence is approximately 1 per 1,000 adults and 0.5 per 1,000 pediatric hospital admissions. Factors predisposing to infective endocarditis include degenerative heart disease, survivable congenital cardiac defects, use of invasive procedures, chronic immunosuppression, and intravenous drug abuse. This article discusses the pathophysiology, diagnosis, therapy, and prevention of infective endocarditis.
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