Oral antibiotic therapy in infective endocarditis

Risk Factors Associated With Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy Program Failure Among Intravenous Drug Users

Sixty-one percent of intravenous drug users (IVDUs) who received outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy (OPAT) failed treatment. Hospital readmission and adverse drug reactions occurred in 25%. By multivariate analysis, time since last IVDU was associated with failure (P = .04). Intravenous drug users requiring OPAT are at high risk for failure; additional studies are needed to explore alternatives.

Haemophilus parainfluenzae aortic prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) successfully treated with oral levofloxacin

Antibiotic treatment of native valve infective endocarditis (IE) traditionally consists of 4-6 weeks of intravenous (IV) antibiotic therapy. Oral (PO) antibiotic therapy is being used more frequently, for part or all of treatment for IE but experience in treating IE with PO antibiotics is limited. Preferable agents for oral therapy of IE are antibiotics with a high degree of activity against the IE pathogen and that have high bioavailability (>90%) so that achievable serum and tissue levels are the same as with equivalent IV antibiotics. Oral antibiotic therapy of IE has several advantages over IV therapy given the long duration of treatment, i.e., 4-6 weeks for IE. Firstly, outpatient oral therapy for IE is easily administered over 4-6 weeks and decreases hospital length of stay (LOS). Secondly, oral antibiotics (administered at the same dose, frequency and duration) costs much less than their IV counterparts. Thirdly, with PO therapy for IE there are no central venous catheter (CVC) associated complications, e.g., phlebitis, bacteremia, fungemia. Compared to native valve IE, prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE), depending on the IE pathogen, requires prolonged therapy and usually valve replacement. Haemophilus sp. IE is relatively virulent and often complicated by heart failure and/or embolic phenomena. We describe the first reported case of Haemophilus parainfluenzae aortic PVE successfully treated with oral levofloxacin without aortic valve replacement.

Infective Endocarditis

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a noncontagious infection of the endocardium and heart valves. The epidemiology of IE has shifted recently with an increase in health care-associated IE. Infective endocarditis requiring intensive care unit stay is increasing, and nosocomial IE is frequently responsible. Diagnosis of IE requires multiple clinical data points encompassing history and physical examination, microbiology, and cardiac imaging as no one test is sufficiently sensitive or specific. The modified Duke criteria algorithm is the standard of care in the clinical diagnosis of IE. Complications from IE are common, particularly so in the critical care setting, and include congestive heart failure, embolism, septic shock, invasive infection, prosthetic valve dehiscence, heart block, and mycotic aneurysm. A multidisciplinary care team of infectious disease, cardiology, and cardiac surgery physicians is recommended to reduce complications. Intravenous antibiotics are first-line therapy with cardiac surgery being reserved for certain complications of IE and/or for clinical situations in which there is a high risk of complications. Timing of surgery for IE remains controversial and depends on a variety of clinical factors.

Successful Oral Ciprofloxacin Therapy of Neisseria elongata Endocarditis

Objective: To report successful oral ciprofloxacin therapy for Neisseria elongata endocarditis. Case Summary: A patient with N elongata endocarditis refused parenteral therapy, but his infection completely resolved with 7 weeks of oral ciprofloxacin. Discussion: This patient’s refusal of parenteral therapy prompted the use of oral ciprofloxacin because it is well absorbed and was expected to be very active against his organism. His infection resolved and did not relapse. Although successful oral therapy has been reported for endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus, primarily in injection drug users, completely oral therapy for other organisms has not been previously described. Conclusions: When parenteral therapy is not possible, oral administration of highly active, well-absorbed antibiotics may be effective for selected cases of endocarditis caused by susceptible organisms.