Infectious Endocarditis StatPearls NCBI Bookshelf

Between 2011 and 2022, the rate of new endocarditis among patients with opioid use disorder increased dramatically, according to new research published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and scientists at Case Western Reserve University. Among drug users, most endocarditis infections stem from the use of non-sterile syringes, allowing bacteria to enter the bloodstream and, eventually, the heart. Hospitalizations for infective endocarditis have increased substantially since 2011. Heart valve surgeries for the treatment of patients who develop DU-IE also have risen. Infectious endocarditis is the inflammation of the endocardium, the inner lining of the heart, as well as the valves that separate each of the four chambers within the heart.

The diagnosis and management of infectious endocarditis can represent a prolonged and complex process.
Without early identification and treatment, a myriad of intracardiac and far-reaching extracardiac complications can develop.
On average, approximately 80% of people do not exhibit any symptoms of hepatitis.
Last year, conservative media caused an uproar by falsely reporting that the Biden administration planned to use federal money to distribute sterile pipes used to consume methamphetamine or fentanyl, among other drugs.
Autopsy analysis of nine patients revealed that vegetation extended into the pulmonary trunk and its branches in 67% of the patients explored, showing how common pulmonary events are in IPE [6, 19].

Risk factors

If you are at high risk of endocarditis because of a damaged heart valve or other medical problem, tell your doctor and dentist.
Before a dental procedure, an antiseptic mouth rinse also can be used, especially one containing chlorhexidine or povidone-iodine.
However, most patients are overlooked due to the subtle and nonspecific clinical signs of IPE, such as pulmonic regurgitant murmur, which may be auscultated in approximately 50% of the patients during the later stages of the disease [3, 6, 32,33,34,35,36].
When a contaminated needle is used, it directly introduces the bacteria into the body and potentially the bloodstream.
Given that dalbavancin is not FDA-approved for endocarditis, insurers may decline to cover its cost, thereby shifting the cost to hospitals and patients.

Those whose endocarditis affects the right side of the heart tend to have a better outlook than those with left-side involvement. In cases in which endocarditis is caused by fungi, the prognosis is usually worse than for bacterial endocarditis. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association recommend that echocardiography be performed to identify valvular abnormalities in all patients in whom there is moderate or high suspicion of endocarditis.16 Transthoracic echocardiography is usually the initial imaging modality. “The regional differences in disease burden indicate that both interventions and funding must be tailored to local needs. Best practices in the multidisciplinary management of DU-IE and the development of regional and national preventive strategies are urgently needed.” Despite rapid development of advanced diagnostic methods, antimicrobial agents and modern surgical devices, the incidence of IE has remained almost unchanged over the past few decades (1).

heart infection from iv drug use

IV Drug Use Complications

Primary outcome was 30-day readmission and cause, with secondary outcomes including mortality, length of stay (LOS), adjusted costs, and 180-day readmission. The Kruskal-Wallis and chi-square tests were used to analyze baseline differences by IDU status. Multivariable regressions were used to analyze mortality, readmissions, LOS, and adjusted costs. Mature vegetations consist of an amalgamation of inflammatory cells, fibrin, platelets, and erythrocyte debris. The initial platelet-fibrin clot provides a nidus for bacterial adherence and further platelet aggregation.

The Health Dangers of IV Drug Use

Although these bacteria normally live on the inside or outside surfaces of your body, you might bring them inside to your bloodstream by eating or drinking. Your immune system normally iv drug use fights off germs before they cause a problem, but this process fails in some people. Gateway Foundation takes a holistic approach to substance misuse and drug dependencies.

heart infection from iv drug use

Injecting a drug is one of the most dangerous forms of drug misuse, as it bypasses your skin’s natural defense systems. IV drug use often causes more intense highs, making it difficult for someone to gauge how much of a drug they have taken. An infected blood clot causes septic thrombophlebitis in the vein, which can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening.

In the adjusted analysis, compared with patients with DU-IE who received their first valve operations, patients with DU-IE receiving redo valve surgery had higher odds of major morbidity, operative mortality and in-hospital mortality.
We established our patient’s diagnosis using the modified Duke criteria, recognized as the most specific and sensitive diagnostic tool for IE.

Treatment options

The patient was diagnosed with isolated pulmonary valve infective endocarditis (IPE) and subsequently initiated an antibiotic regimen consisting of ceftriaxone 2 g/day and vancomycin 750 mg twice daily before the blood culture results were available. A 15-year-old male with Down syndrome, a history of hypothyroidism, and no underlying heart disease was referred to our hospital with a three-month history of fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient had no dental work during the last year and could not communicate well or speak fluently due to his unique condition. The patient’s overall intelligence level was also significantly lower than the general population. Upon admission, he had experienced persistent fever and chills for one month following a prior two-week hospitalization at another hospital.

heart infection from iv drug use

Preventive antibiotics

Substance Use Treatment

However, the high recurrence rate caused by continuing IDU and medical non-compliance inevitably raises the ethical consideration of offering valve surgery to this patient population.
Frequency of valve surgery and trend over time for illicit drug use and endocarditis culture were analyzed with a multinomial baseline-category logit model treating year as a linear variable.
However, IE in this particular patient population is more difficult to treat, and has a high recurrence rate compared to other patient populations, because of continuing IDU and medical non-compliance.

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