NEUROLOGICAL SEQUELAE OF ENDOCARDITIS

Course overview

ENDOCARDITIS IS INFLAMMATION OR INFECTION OF THE ENDOCARDIUM, THE INNER LINING OF CARDIAC VALVES AND CARDIAC MUSCLE. IT MOST COMMONLY RESULTS FROM BACTERIAL INFECTION, WHICH IS ALSO KNOWN AS INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS (IE). NON-INFECTIVE ENDOCARDITIS, ALSO KNOWN AS NONBACTERIAL THROMBOTIC ENDOCARDITIS (NBTE) OR MARANTIC ENDOCARDITIS, IS CAUSED BY THE AGGREGATION OF STERILE VEGETATION AT THE NATIVE CARDIAC VALVES. CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF IE AND NBTE DIFFER DUE TO THE DIFFERENCE IN PATHOLOGY, THE NATURE OF THE CARDIAC VALVES (I.E., PROSTHETIC VALVES, RHEUMATIC HEART), STRUCTURES OF THE HEART, PATHOGENS AND IMMUNOLOGIC STATUS (I.E., LIBMAN-SACHS ENDOCARDITIS IN SLE PATIENTS). THERE IS A BROAD SPECTRUM OF COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ENDOCARDITIS, INCLUDING CARDIAC, SYSTEMIC INFECTIONS, NEUROLOGIC, PULMONARY, AND RENAL COMPLICATIONS. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF NEUROLOGICAL COMPLICATIONS OF ENDOCARDITIS AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH NEUROLOGICAL SEQUELAE IN ENDOCARDITIS.