American Heart Association Statement: Managing Infective Endocarditis in People Who Inject Drugs

The AHA's scientific statement addresses addiction treatment, antimicrobial therapy, and surgical management of endocarditis in people who inject drugs.

Injection drug use is a growing risk factor for developing infective endocarditis (IE), yet advances in diagnosis and treatment have lagged. Guided by an expert panel, the American Heart Association (AHA) has developed a scientific statement for clinicians managing IE in people who inject drugs (PWID). The statement covers addiction treatment, antimicrobial therapy, and cardiac surgery for management of valvular disease.

Addiction: Intake data should include a thorough history of substance abuse, overdoses, and injection-related complications such as HIV, hepatitis C, soft-tissue and musculoskeletal infections, and prior IE. For opioid users, methadone and buprenorphine are encouraged at hospital admission to diminish cravings and withdrawal…

Author

George Sakoulas, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardParatek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.; AbbVie; Shionogi

Speaker’s BureauAllergan/AbbVie; Paratek Pharmaceuticals; Nestle Corp.

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; Open Forum Infectious Diseases