Endocardite infecciosa: uma revisão do microrganismo ao tratamento

Abstract

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a disease in which pathogens invade the endocardial surfaces, producing inflammation and damage. It is due to an infection by fungi, viruses and mainly by bacteria. This bacterial infection may be related to bacteremia due to medical procedures in certain patients with diverse cardiac conditions. Infective endocarditis may appear in its acute or subacute form, its symptomatology is vague and insidious and it is a serious illness that when left untreated may lead to death. In the infectious disease the main microbiological agents within the bacterial arsenal that can cause the disease are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans. The profile of this disease has been changing in the last decades around the world, consequently the main objective of this work is to bring new information from the scientific literature, thus updating the knowledge about this disease. With respect to its diagnosis and treatment, the Duke criteria gain a great prominence for the clinical diagnosis of the disease and blood cultures are key points for the laboratory diagnosis. For the treatment, the surgical method stands out in relation to the antibiotic therapy of the patient, yet this still remains one of the most effective methods for curing the disease, when the patient is quickly diagnosed with IE. In this way, the present study does not exhaust the knowledge about the subject, but can contribute to the education process of the health professionals who work in this segment, as well as to improve the formation of a consistent database on the subject addressed.