[Prophylaxis of bacterial endocarditis in children with congenital heart disease: current status of parents' knowledge].

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge that parents of children with congenital cardiac disease have about bacterial endocarditis (EB) and its prophylaxis (PEB).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

To this end, an elusive questionnaire was prepared and offered to one hundred parents of children who needed PEB. The group was classified according to the age of the children, the cultural level of the parents an the event of a dental or if another septic focus was known in the past. Likewise, the parents' knowledge of their child's disease was analyzed.

RESULTS

Of the results obtained, it stood-out that the parents appeared well informed about their child's illness, but their information was insufficient in relationship to EB and PEB. Of those tested, 85% defined the child's heart disease, while only 14% did so for EB. Likewise, only 67.7% of the children who underwent an intervention for a septic focus performed PEB correctly. The knowledge of this theme are in relationship to the family's cultural formation.

CONCLUSIONS

We emphasize the need to reinforce the information about PEB that the cardiologists, pediatricians and general physicians give to the families in order to prevent the morbidity and mortality caused by EB.