Neurologic complications of infective endocarditis.

Infective endocarditis is an infection of the inner surface or endocardium of the heart, in most instances involving the heart valves or the mural portion of the endocardium. As nonbacterial organisms such as rickettsia, fungi, and even viruses may also cause endocarditis, the term "infective endocarditis" is preferred over the older terminology of "bacterial endocarditis." Despite advancements in medical treatment and surgical therapies over the last few decades, infective endocarditis continues to be associated with a poor prognosis. There are many different factors affecting the clinical outcome in patient with infective endocarditis, including the type of organism and its virulence, patient characteristics, comorbid illness, time to diagnosis and treatment, indications for surgery, and time to surgery when indicated. In this article, we will review the epidemiology of endocarditis, the neurologic complications of infective endocarditis, and the current therapeutic strategies.