Blood Cultures After Antibiotics for Endocarditis: Don’t Bother

Infective endocarditis (IE) is associated with relapse rates of 2% to 9%, and rates are highest for Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus spp. While the European Society of Cardiology encourages blood cultures within a week of completion of antibiotic therapy for IE, even in asymptomatic patients, the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends against this practice in asymptomatic patients. To assess current practice and outcomes, researchers at one institution studied 598 cases of IE in adults over a 10-year period, identified either retrospectively or prospectively.