The Dental Update Archive

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Volume 39, Issue 1 for January 2012

Infective endocarditis: the impact of the nice guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infection of the endocardial lining of the heart. It most often affects the heart valves, where it may cause vegetations to develop. These are accumulations of platelets, fibrin and inflammatory cells that are heavily infected with micro-organisms and form fleshy lumps on the valve surfaces. These vegetations can stop the valves from working efficiently, leading to leakage, regurgitation and heart failure.