- Bactericidal antibiotics are used parenterally in high doses. With the exception of PVE caused by staphylococci, antimicrobial therapy for PVE caused by a specific organism uses the same drugs recommended for native valve endocarditis.
- Endocarditis caused by relatively penicillin-resistant (MIC = 0.2 to 0.5 µg/mL) viridans or other nonenterococcal streptococci is treated with a higher dose of penicillin G combined with gentamicin. If the strain is even more resistant to penicillin (MIC > 0.5 µg/mL), the infection is treated with one of the standard regimens for enterococcal endocarditis.
- Operative intervention to débride infected perivalvular tissue or to replace or reconstruct a dysfunctioning valve is important in the management of complicated infective endocarditis that involves either a native or a prosthetic valve. Overall, surgery is indicated in 25 to 40% of patients with infective endocarditis, and up to 45% of patients undergo surgery during the active phase of their disease.
Latest Updates




Prevention and Diagnosis of Infection
- Microbiologic studies are critical for characterizing infections. Gram stains and cultures of wound tissue, pus, sputum, urine, and drainage effluent are generally very useful. Identification of not only the particular organism involved but also of its specific antimicrobial susceptibility has become common practice in most hospital clinical laboratories.
- Treatment of CAUTI requires removal or change of the catheter along with systemic antimicrobial therapy. The predominant microorganisms causing CAUTI in the ICU are enteric gram-negative bacilli, Candida species, enterococci, staphylococci, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Multidrug resistance is a significant problem in urinary pathogens


- Pulmonary hypertension can be treated with single or combination therapy employing calcium channel blockers, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, guanylate cyclase stimulators, endothelin receptor antagonists, and prostanoids.
- Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer used to treat cardiogenic shock and right heart failure.
- Clevidipine is an ultra-rapid acting calcium channel blocker used for perioperative hypertension management in cardiovascular and vascular diseases, neurosurgery, and surgery for pheochromocytoma.


Nerve Blocks and Neurostimulation in the Treatment of Migraine
- Peripheral nerve and sphenopalatine ganglion blocks are a safe, effective treatment option for headache disorders, including migraine, although the evidence remains mixed for chronic migraine prophylaxis.
- Neurostimulation has emerged as an effective treatment modality for migraine, with both noninvasive and minimally invasive options available.
- Safe, effective, and noninvasive neurostimulation therapies available for migraine include transcutaneous supraorbital nerve stimulation for prophylaxis and single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation for the acute treatment of migraine with aura.
- Occipital nerve stimulation may be effective for some patients with intractable chronic migraine, although the evidence is mixed and procedure-related complications are common.
- Noninvasive vagus nerve stimulation and implanted sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation are emerging treatment options that may be useful for both acute and prophylactic treatment of episodic and chronic migraine.


- Sepsis syndromes have been redefined (Sepsis-3 definitions) by international experts, based on sepsis mortality data extracted large administrative databases.
- National focus has turned to early identification of sepsis as a key determinant of outcomes. International critical care experts have recommended using the qSOFA criteria in the Emergency Department setting to identify sepsis risk in patients prior to obtaining diagnostics.
- The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has added a sepsis quality measure (SEP-1) as a reporting requirement for all US hospital tied to Medicare & Medicaid reimbursement. This measure has increased awareness of sepsis performance and focused quality efforts on improvement.
- 2018 update to bundles to simplify to 1-hour bundle.


Prevention and Diagnosis of Infection
- Microbiologic studies are critical for characterizing infections. Gram stains and cultures of wound tissue, pus, sputum, urine, and drainage effluent are generally very useful. Identification of not only the particular organism involved but also of its specific antimicrobial susceptibility has become common practice in most hospital clinical laboratories.
- Treatment of CAUTI requires removal or change of the catheter along with systemic antimicrobial therapy. The predominant microorganisms causing CAUTI in the ICU are enteric gram-negative bacilli, Candida species, enterococci, staphylococci, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Multidrug resistance is a significant problem in urinary pathogens


Management of Postpartum Hemorrhage
- In a 2015 population-based, cross-sectional study conducted by the United Kingdom Obstetric Surveillance System on women requiring massive postpartum transfusion for PPH, uterine atony was found to be responsible 40% of the time. Atony represents a large proportion of cases of PPH, and its incidence is on the rise. Over recent years, we have observed a significant rise in the rate of PPH attributed to uterine atony not only in the United States but also worldwide.
- Originally described in 1997, the B-Lynch compression suture is an effective and easily used tool for the management of PPH. This technique involves placing brace sutures over the fundus of the uterus to apply ongoing compression of the uterus.
- The correct ratio of packed red blood cells to fresh frozen plasma to platelets in the setting of obstetrical hemorrhage remains controversial. Most experts advocate for a 1:1:1 ratio in the setting of active bleeding, whereas others advocate for 6:4:1 or 2:1 (with platelets to be given after the first 4:2).


Prevention and Diagnosis of Infection
- Microbiologic studies are critical for characterizing infections. Gram stains and cultures of wound tissue, pus, sputum, urine, and drainage effluent are generally very useful. Identification of not only the particular organism involved but also of its specific antimicrobial susceptibility has become common practice in most hospital clinical laboratories.
- Treatment of CAUTI requires removal or change of the catheter along with systemic antimicrobial therapy. The predominant microorganisms causing CAUTI in the ICU are enteric gram-negative bacilli, Candida species, enterococci, staphylococci, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Multidrug resistance is a significant problem in urinary pathogens