Author: Nick Tsipis, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Persistent fever or positive blood cultures should raise suspicion for endocarditis

• Patients with recent dental procedures, recent cardiac surgeries are at risk, or who inject drugs are at higher risk

• Physical exam findings may include fever with a new murmur, Janeway lesions, Osler nodes, and/or splinter hemorrhages

References:

Long B, Koyfman A. Infectious endocarditis: An update for emergency clinicians. Am J Emerg Med. 2018 Sep;36(9):1686-1692. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2018.06.074. Epub 2018 Jul 2. Review. PubMed PMID: 30001813.

Murdoch DR, Corey GR, Hoen B et. al. International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study (ICE-PCS) Investigators. Clinical presentation, etiology, and outcome of infective endocarditis in the 21st century: the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study. Arch Intern Med. 2009 Mar 9;169(5):463-73. doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2008.603