Serious & Notifiable Infections — Flashcards

Flashcard 101: What is the initial investigation for infective endocarditis? _____

Answer: Blood cultures - 3 sets of blood cultures taken from different sites

Flashcard 102: What is the prophylaxis for infective endocarditis in dental procedures? _____

Answer: None, NICE recommend no prophylaxis contradictory to other recommendations

Flashcard 103: What is the management in severe infective endocarditis (valvular incompetence, resistance, heart failure, embolic events)? _____

Answer: Surgery - valve replacement/repair to remove the infection

Flashcard 104: Infective endocarditis is assessed with the _____ criteria

Answer: Modified Duke

Flashcard 105: The mnemonic FROM JANE describes the symptoms of _____

Answer: infective (bacterial) endocarditis

Flashcard 106: One symptom associated with bacterial endocarditis is _____ (normocytic, normochromic) most likely because of chronic disease/inflammation.

Answer: anaemia

Extra: In infective endocarditis, the anemia is typically a normocytic, normochromic Anemia of Chronic Disease (ACD) due to the persistent inflammatory state and iron sequestration by the reticuloendothelial system. While mechanical hemolysis can occur (especially with prosthetic valves), it is not the primary mechanism for the general anemia seen in IE.

Flashcard 107: Mortality in infective endocarditis is ~_____%

Answer: 25

Flashcard 108: Endocarditis secondary to IVDU most commonly affects the _____ valve

Answer: tricuspid

Flashcard 109: Initial antibiotic management for infective endocarditis in a prosthetic valve is _____

Answer: vancomycin + gentamicin + rifampicin

Flashcard 110: A patient with _____ AND new heart murmur is infective endocarditis until proven otherwise

Answer: fever