Historical Perspectives and Basic Principles -- Perspectives on the History of Endocarditis -- Pathologic Findings: Valvular Destruction, Perivalvular Abnormalities, and Extracardiac Findings -- Changing Populations: The Elderly, Injection Drug Users, Health-Care-Associated and Immunocompromised Patients -- Microbiology of Infective Endocarditis and Microbiologic Diagnosis -- Prophylaxis of Endocarditis -- Diagnosis and Management Approaches -- Diagnostic Approach to Endocarditis -- Role of Transthoracic and Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Management of Endocarditis -- Surgical Management: Indications and Technical Issues -- Treatment of Native Valve Endocarditis: General Principles and Therapy for Specific Organisms -- Clinical Dilemmas -- Blood-Culture-Negative Endocarditis -- Prosthetic Valve and Other Cardiovascular Device-Related Endocarditis -- Pediatric Infective Endocarditis and Congenital Heart Disease -- Systemic Embolism in Endocarditis: Incidence, Risk Factors, Clinical Significance, and Treatment Strategies -- Neurological Complications of Endocarditis: Pathophysiologic Mechanisms and Management Issues.

Despite advances in medical and surgical treatments, infective endocarditis continues to be an important clinical problem. It has an in-hospital mortality of 10–20%, and many patients will require valve surgery during long-term follow-up. Diagnosis is difficult since it is based on a range of findings, none of which alone are pathognomonic. Often unequivocal diagnosis can be made only at surgery or autopsy. Endocarditis: Diagnosis and Management provides a comprehensive review of the diagnosis and management of endocarditis. It is structured in a practical format and designed to be easy to follow, clinically relevant and evidence based, with emphasis on the key clinical points. These key points are listed in each chapter for quick review. The Editors and their Contributors provide a comprehensive review of the basic principles of the management of endocarditis. They present the clinical principles supporting effective diagnosis and both medical and surgical treatment approaches. They also focus on difficult clinical scenarios frequently encountered in these patients, each of which are supplemented by a carefully chosen representative case study. This book is an important resource for clinical information on the diagnosis and management of endocarditis which is vital to all cardiologists, emergency medicine practitioners and intensivists likely to be involved in the care of these patients.