Treatment for Endocarditis
Health ConditionsCardiovascular DiseasesEndocarditis

Endocarditis Treatment

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Updated on June 26, 2015
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Treatment options for infective endocarditis generally include drugs and surgeries.

Endocarditis, also called infective endocarditis, is a bacterial or fungal infection of the inner lining of the heart or heart valves.

Endocarditis can be life threatening, but most people recover with prompt treatment.

Infective endocarditis is generally treated with antibiotics, but some people with endocarditis may also need heart surgery.

You'll likely have a team of doctors monitoring you're progress, including:

  • A cardiologist (heart doctor)
  • A heart surgeon
  • A doctor who specializes in infectious diseases

Endocarditis Medications

Most cases of endocarditis are treated with antibiotics.

Antibiotics are medicines to rid your body of the infection. They'll clear all the germs from your heart and heart valves.

You'll get antibiotics for two to six weeks through an intravenous (IV) tube inserted into a vein. You may spend part or all of this time in the hospital so that your doctor can monitor your condition and make sure the treatment is working.

The type of antibiotics you receive, as well as the length of your treatment, will depend on the severity of your infection, the type of germs causing it, and your previous medical history.

Blood tests and diagnostic procedures will help your doctors decide which antibiotic medications are best for you.

While you're receiving antibiotics, your doctors will take frequent blood samples to see whether the infection is beginning to clear from the bloodstream.

Endocarditis Surgery

Starting antibiotic treatment early can reduce the risk of complications from endocarditis.

Even with antibiotics, endocarditis can cause damage to the heart or heart valves. Surgery may be required to repair the damage.

Your doctors may also recommend surgery to clear up the infection or to replace heart valves that were badly damaged by the infection.

Surgery for endocarditis is often suggested:

  • If small chunks of vegetation (blood clots caused by the infection) are breaking off and causing strokes
  • If the endocarditis is caused by a fungus, because fungal infections are harder to treat than bacterial infections
  • If the infection is not clearing with antibiotics, or if the bacteria causing the infection have become resistant to antibiotics
  • If the infection has damaged the heart valves
  • If you've developed congestive heart failure, which occurs when fluid builds up in and around the heart and lungs because blood doesn't pump properly though the heart (congestive heart failure may be due to damaged heart valves)

Types of Surgical Procedures for Endocarditis

The type of surgical procedure recommended will depend on the problem.

People with congestive heart failure or valve damage may need a heart valve replacement with a prosthetic (manmade) valve.

Your doctor may perform surgery to remove an abscess (pocket of pus); necrotic (dead) tissue from around the heart; or areas of persistent infection (such as a diseased heart valve).

Your doctor can also surgically remove blood clots that may form.

After surgery, you'll likely need more antibiotics.

You'll also receive cardiac imaging tests, including an echocardiogram. This can give your doctor a clear picture of how your heart is healing.

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Sanjai Sinha, MD

Medical Reviewer
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Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program at Weill Cornell Medical College. Helping patients understand health information and make informed decisions, and communicating health topics effectively both in person and through patient educational content, is a challenge that animates his daily life, and something he is always working to improve.

Dr. Sinha did his undergraduate training at the University of California in Berkeley, where he graduated magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1998 and completed his internship and residency training at the New York University School of Medicine in 2001. Subsequently, he worked with the Department of Veterans Affairs from 2001 to 2012 and held faculty appointments at both the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

In 2006, he won the VISN3 Network Director Award for Public Service and a commendation from the secretary of Veterans Affairs for his relief work after Hurricane Katrina. He joined Weill Cornell Medical College in 2012, where he is an assistant professor of clinical medicine and the director of the care management program, as well as a practicing physician.

In addition to his work for Everyday Health, Sinha has written for various publications, including Sharecare and Drugs.com; published numerous papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the Journal of General Internal Medicine; and presented at national conferences on many healthcare delivery topics. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians.
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Lindsey Konkel is an award-winning freelance journalist with more than 10 years of experience covering health, science, and the environment. Her work has appeared online and in print for Newsweek, National Geographic, Huffington Post, Consumer Reports, Everyday Health, Science, Environmental Health Perspectives, UCSF Magazine, American Association for Cancer Research, and others.

She previously worked as an editor and staff writer at Environmental Health News. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from NYU’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program and a bachelor’s degree in biology from College of the Holy Cross.

Konkel lives in Haddon Township, New Jersey, with her husband, daughter, three cats, and dog. When she isn't writing, she handles social media and content marketing for a small veterinary clinic she started with her husband, Neabore Veterinary Clinic.

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