Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Jan 2012
Infective endocarditis and rheumatic heart disease in the north of Australia.
To prevent infective endocarditis (IE), Australian guidelines recommend providing prophylactic antibiotics to Indigenous patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prior to procedures which may cause bacteremia. In northern Australia RHD remains prevalent. We aimed to determine whether RHD is associated with an increased risk of IE, which risk factors are associated with IE, and the incidence and aetiology of IE. ⋯ In northern Australia the principle risk factor for IE is not RHD. Whilst RHD increased the risk of IE it was not restricted to Indigenous Australians. Current Australian recommendations of providing prophylactic antibiotics to Indigenous patients with RHD prior to procedures which may cause bacteremia may need to be broadened to include non-Indigenous patients.