Short-term therapy for streptococcal infective endocarditis. Combined intramuscular administration of penicillin and streptomycin

W. R. Wilson, R. L. Thompson, C. J. Wilkowske, J. A. Washington 2nd, E. R. Giuliani and J. E. Geraci

In a prospective study, 91 patients with penicillin-sensitive infective endocarditis (IE) were treated for two weeks with intramuscular (IM) penicillin G procaine, 1.2 million units every six hours, plus streptomycin sulfate, 500 mg IM every 12 hours. Viridans streptococci were isolated from 70 patients (77%); 21 patients (23%) had Streptococcus bovis infections. Eighteen patients (20%) had had symptoms of IE for three months or longer. Follow-up ranged from two months to 6.6 years. There were no relapses; mild vestibular toxic reactions occurred in two patients (2%). Two patients (2%) died--one of sudden-onset severe heart failure and one of cardiac arrest after aortic valve replacement. Twenty-six patients (19%) required cardiac valve replacement after completion of antimicrobial therapy. This therapy seems as efficacious as four weeks of parenteral antimicrobial therapy and is more cost-effective.

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