Septic endocarditis

Sepsis is a problem that poses a serious danger to life. Septic endocarditis is one of the forms of sepsis, in which the infection affects the heart valves. The disease can develop with congenital or acquired heart defects. The most terrible thing about the illness is that many doctors can not reliably determine it from the first time, and accordingly, the patient does not receive the necessary treatment.

Causes and symptoms of septic endocarditis

A huge number of bacteria are in the air and on the ground. A person is constantly in contact with some harmful microorganisms, but healthy immunity does not allow them to develop. The infection unfolds immediately as soon as it finds a weak spot in immunity.

Septic endocarditis can develop against a background of various infectious diseases. Sometimes the disease occurs after incorrectly performed surgical procedures.

Depending on the nature of the course of the disease, there are three main forms of septic endocarditis: acute, subacute, protracted (it is also chronic). The simplest treatment is acute septic endocarditis. The most difficult is the chronic form of the disease, which can last for years.

Recognize septic endocarditis for the following symptoms:

• Osler's nodules are seals that appear on the palms of the hands;
• heart failure ;
• psychosis;
• increased lymph nodes;
• thromboembolism of cerebral vessels;
• thickening of the nails and phalanges of the fingers;
• arthritis (mainly in the large joints of the hands and feet);
• icterus of the skin;
• frequent headaches;
• nausea;
• heat;
• insomnia;
• dry cough;
• dyspnea;
• constant fatigue.

Treatment of septic endocarditis

You can start treatment only after the cause of septic endocarditis has been established. In the early stages of the disease you can cope with antibiotic therapy. Effective and fastest of all drugs work if administered intravenously. Very often, due to the fact that one drug is not able to cope with the infection, combined therapy is used.

The most popular agents for the treatment of septic endocarditis are:

• Gentamicin;
• Amicacin;
• Benzylpenicillin.

In order to benefit, it is necessary to drip a full course of antibiotics. And with septic endocarditis treatment can last several weeks.

During antibacterial therapy, the patient must take immunomodulating drugs and probiotics .