Endocarditis prophylaxis in adult congenital heart disease

Abstract

The risk for infective endocarditis (IE) is increased in adults with congenital heart disease compared to the general population. Therefore, prophylactic measures are of utmost importance. Antibiotic prophylaxis (AP) for IE has been in use for more than six decades. However, a paradigm shift regarding the recommendations for AP occurred in the last two decades mainly due to the missing evidence for the effectiveness of AP as well as due to concerns for potential adverse effects. The consequences of these changes are still a matter of debate with a lot of uncertainty for the daily clinical practice. Therefore, this review aims to give an overview over IE prophylaxis in adult congenital heart disease: what it is, the evidence for and against it as well as how to apply adequate preventive measures.

Keywords

• Adult congenital heart disease
• Infective endocarditis
• Antibiotic prophylaxis
• Prevention