DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjmcr.2025.v13i07.009

Pages: 1563-1567

Endocarditis affects one or more cardiac valves and is a potentially fatal, multisystem disease of bacterial origin. It has an incidence of 3 to 7 cases per 100,000 people per year. Fever and sepsis are the most common clinical presentations, followed by embolic events, paravalvular abscess, and heart failure. Diagnosis is based on the modified Duke criteria, which include two major and five minor criteria. The most common infectious agents are Streptococcus viridians, Streptococcus bovis (HACEK group), and Staphylococcus aureus. Klebsiella species are very rare. Medical treatment is based on antibiotics, which have provided a good response to cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and carbapenems. Surgical treatment is reserved for vegetation larger than 10 mm or dysfunction in a heart valve, with an estimated cure rate of 80.3% and an overall mortality rate of 19.4%.