Infective endocarditis chemoprophylaxis for adults: new guidelines

Abstract

The concept of infective endocarditis chemoprophylaxis has undergone dramatic changes in recent few years, as exemplified by the latest guidelines from the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). Although there are minor differences between the two, both guidelines agree that having a dental procedure is not an important risk factor and that chemoprophylaxis is not required except for patients at high risk if they develop infective endocarditis. It is important for cardiologists, dentists and other health care professionals to aware of this change in order not to overprescribe antimicrobial prophylaxis.