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Heart Valve Infections
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Heart valves allow one-way flow of blood through the heart. Damaged heart valves that do not open completely (called stenosis) or close completely (called regurgitation) are susceptible to infection because they cause abnormal blood flow through the valve. Infections of heart valves (known as endocarditis) are serious and can be life-threatening. The most common heart infections are caused by bacteria, though fungal infections can also occur. Prosthetic (replaced) or repaired heart valves are prone to infection. Growths of infectious tissue on heart valves are called vegetations and can lead to strokes due to pieces of tissue breaking off (called emboli) and blocking blood vessels in the brain. The March 28, 2007, issue of JAMA includes an article on infections of prosthetic heart valves.
RISK FACTORS
- Damaged or abnormal heart valves
- Prosthetic heart valves
- Intravenous illegal drug use causing heart valve damage from foreign substances and infectious agents injected . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Janet M. Torpy, MD, Writer;
Alison E. Burke, MA, Illustrator;
Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor
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RELATED ARTICLE
Contemporary Clinical Profile and Outcome of Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis
Andrew Wang, Eugene Athan, Paul A. Pappas, Vance G. Fowler, Jr, Lars Olaison, Carlos Paré, Benito Almirante, Patricia Muñoz, Marco Rizzi, Christoph Naber, Mateja Logar, Pierre Tattevin, Diana L. Iarussi, Christine Selton-Suty, Sandra Braun Jones, José Casabé, Arthur Morris, G. Ralph Corey, Christopher H. Cabell, and for the International Collaboration on Endocarditis-Prospective Cohort Study Investigators
JAMA. 2007;297(12):1354-1361.
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