Assessment of the feasibility of a partial oral regimen for antibiotic therapy of endocarditis

Excerpt

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a relatively uncommon although severe disease, with an incidence ranging from 3 to 7 per 100,000 person-years. It is still characterized by high morbidity and mortality (in-hospital mortality 15–45%). According to the latest versions of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, the antimicrobial therapy for patients with IE consists in prolonged (up to 6 weeks) intravenous (IV) therapy, targeted on microbiological findings [1, 2]. For these reasons, the majority of patients with IE have a prolonged in-hospital length of stay to complete the antibiotic infusion program. There are some situations in which optimal IV antibiotic therapy is not feasible or advisable. Moreover, the long hospitalization can lead to increased risk of adverse events as well as an early discharge can determine a better quality of life for the patient [3]. Oral anti-bacterial therapy could be an effective alternative. …