Do I need to pre-medicate to prevent Infective Endocarditis?
The American Heart Association recently updated its guidelines regarding which patients should take a precautionary antibiotic to prevent Infective Endocarditis (IE) before a visit to the dentist. The guidelines, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, are based on a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that, for most people, the risks of taking prophylaxis antibiotics for certain procedures outweigh the benefits. These guidelines represent a major change in philosophy. Patients for whom preventive antibiotics are worth the risks include: those with artificial heart valves, a history of having had IE, certain serious congenital heart conditions and/or a cardiac transplant which develops a problem in a heart valve.
