IMR Press / RCM / Volume 24 / Issue 10 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2410283
Open Access Review
Is Infectious Endocarditis Evolving into a Time-Dependent Diagnosis in the Contemporary Epidemiological Era? Emphasis on the Role of Echocardiography as a First-Line Diagnostic Approach
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1 Division of Cardiology, Department of Diagnostics, Clinical and Public Health Medicine, Policlinico University Hospital of Modena, 41122 Modena, Italy
2 Department of Cardiology, Humanitas Cellini, 10100 Turin, Italy
3 Division of Cardiology, Dipartimento di Scienze della salute, San Paolo Hospital, ASST Santi Paolo and Carlo, University of Milan, 20142 Milano, Italy
4 Cardiology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale - IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
*Correspondence: francy_manto@hotmail.com (Francesca Mantovani)
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2023, 24(10), 283; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2410283
Submitted: 13 March 2023 | Revised: 22 May 2023 | Accepted: 1 June 2023 | Published: 8 October 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Cardiovascular Imaging)
Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Despite significant advances in understanding and outcomes in various domains of cardiology, the prognosis of infective endocarditis (IE) remains dismal. One of the main reasons may rely on an even more intricate diagnosis since epidemiology has shifted towards an aggressive infection, typically in older patients with the involvement of prosthetic valves and cardiovascular implantable electronic devices with earlier clinical presentation. In this novel setting, it is critical to avoid a delay in diagnosis that may delay subsequent adequate treatment, further complications, and ultimately poor clinical outcomes. Accordingly, based on the available data, we will examine the proper use of first-line echocardiography representing the first-line imaging method in patients with clinical suspicion of IE. We will focus on the following three crucial questions: (1) What is the threshold to start the echocardiographic diagnostic workup in stable patients? (2) Has infective endocarditis become a time-dependent diagnosis, even in stable patients? (3) What is the appropriate use of echocardiography in unstable patients? Finally, we propose a new mindset to improve the echocardiographic diagnostic workflow.

Keywords
infective endocarditis
echocardiography
diagnosis
Figures
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