Endocarditis: Diagnosis, Therapy and Prevention

Endocarditis is a medical condition characterized by an inflammation of the endocardium of the heart. The inflammation occurs in the heart valves and may extend to the chordae tendineae, interventricular septum, the surfaces of intracardiac devices or the mural endocardium. Vegetations comprising of a mass of fibrin, platelets or microcolonies of scant inflammatory cells or microorganisms may occur in endocarditis. Subacute form of infective endocarditis includes a center of granulomatous tissue. Endocarditis can be infective or non-infective based on the underlying cause of the inflammation. Blood cultures and echocardiogram can aid in the diagnosis. Some common symptoms of this disease are fever, sweating or chills, weakness, anorexia, cardiac murmur, Janeway's lesions, etc. This book includes some of the vital pieces of work being conducted across the world, on various topics related to endocarditis. It provides significant information of this discipline to help develop a good understanding of the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of endocarditis. It will prove to be immensely beneficial to students and researchers in the field of cardiology.