ANTIBIOTIC-THERAPY IN BACTERIAL-ENDOCARDITIS

Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy, endocarditis continues to b e a difficult therapeutic problem. In countries where streptococci rem ain the commonest cause of this disease, penicillin and gentamicin are still the best empirical choices. Studies have allowed some refining of therapy by identifying criteria, on the basis of which decisions ca n be made about the duration of therapy and the need for synergistic a minoglycosides. In prosthetic endocarditis the preponderance of staphy lococci as causative agents dictates the empirical use of vancomycin u ntil sensitivity data are available.