Endocarditis

In this chapter we describe the case of a patient presenting with signs and symptoms of infective endocarditis following a recent mitral valve replacement. We describe the epidemiology of infective endocarditis and discuss its features including echocardiographic features. We discuss diagnosis, treatment (both medical and surgical), complications and prognosis with a focus and emphasis on the ICU patient. The clinical presentation of IE in the ICU setting may be atypical and classic features may be masked by critical care interventions and concomitant pathology. Echocardiography can be particularly challenging in the ICU setting. There should be a low threshold for TEE in critically ill patients with Staphylococcus aureus catheter-related bloodstream infection because of its high propensity to cause IE.