Infective Endocarditis: Diagnosis, Antibiotic Therapy, and Management
Updated: September 08, 2026
- Since the 2015 American Heart Association Scientific Statement, the incidence of infective endocarditis (IE) has continued to rise with major shifts in epidemiology, including increasing injection drug use–associated IE related to the opioid epidemic, an aging population with complex comorbidities, and expanding use of cardiovascular implantable devices and prosthetic materials.
- Advances in laboratory diagnostics and imaging—including molecular pathogen detection, emerging radiopharmaceutical imaging, and artificial intelligence—are reshaping how IE is diagnosed and monitored, with the potential to enable earlier targeted therapy and more precise disease assessment.
- Treatment strategies have evolved beyond prolonged intravenous therapy and delayed surgery to include multidisciplinary Endocarditis Teams, early procedural interventions, and alternative antimicrobial strategies, aiming to improve outcomes in a disease still associated with substantial morbidity and nearly 40% one-year mortality.
A Message from the Chairs: Infective Endocarditis: Diagnosis, Antibiotic Therapy, and Management
In this video Writing Group Chair Daniel C. DeSimone, MD, FAHA and Vice-Chair Larry M. Baddour, MD, FAHA discuss how recent advances are reshaping the diagnosis and management of this increasingly complex disease, with a growing emphasis on multispecialty endocarditis teams and individualized patient care.
Recommended Reading
- Blood Culture–Negative Endocarditis
- Nondental Invasive Procedures and Risk of Infective Endocarditis: Time for a Revisit
- Update on Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Device Infections and Their Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management
- 2025 Guideline for the Management of Adults With Congenital Heart Disease