Added: 12/16/2005 |
Bacterial endocarditis diagnosing vital for a child with prolonged feverBacterial endocarditis is a condition of the heart valves or of the inner surface of heart. The bacteria that cause the disease are usually found in the urinary tract, in the intestinal tract and in the mouth. The infection causes rather a serious condition, which needs prolonged bacterial endocarditis treatment and can lead to a heart injury or even to death. Endocarditis poses threat especially for those who have heart conditions. Bacterial endocarditis prevention presupposes simple measures. Nevertheless, execution of the measure often turns out to be confusing for the child's parents, dentist and physician.
Endocarditic starts when bacteria develop on the linings of the abnormal valve or on the heart defect. It happens after the bacteria enter the bloodstream from dental procedures as well as from various procedures of the urinary and gastrointestinal tract. When the bacteria affect the inner part of the heart they start producing big particles that are called vegetation. These particles often break off to travel to the brain, skin, kidneys and lungs. The infection can also do significant harm to the very heart valves where the particles have grown.
The condition may have various symptoms. But if the child has a prolonged fever, it is the most significant sign. The child in this case should be thoroughly examined. Children with congenital heart diseases are most prone to the condition. The need of the bacterial endocarditis diagnosing is also necessary in case of other symptoms, such as poor appetite, pain in the joints, changes in the heart beating rhythm of the child, feeling tired and week and skin rashes. The risk that these signs are caused by endocarditis gets higher if they appear right after dental cleaning or procedures of the urinary and gastrointestinal tract.
Bacterial endocarditis diagnosing is also possible when the doctor suspects the presence of the condition if the child has some congenital heart disease or prolonged fever. Bacterial endocarditis diagnosing can be executed with the help of blood tests that track down the symptoms of inflammation. The best way to hold bacterial endocarditis diagnosing is to execute blood culture. It presupposes taking a small blood sample from the vein, which grows in a certain solution, so that the bacteria can be defined. It is worthy of note that if the patient has recently used antibiotics, the result of the culture is likely to be negative.
It is possible to prevent endocarditis in a child if to give him an antibiotic before the procedure that may release bacteria into the bloodstream and to give him a smaller dose of antibiotics about 6 hours after the procedure.
Bacterial endocarditis treatment includes intravenous use of antibiotics. The appropriate antibiotics are defined with the help of blood tests, which are carried out under the supervision of a cardiologist or a specialist in infectious diseases.
Children with endocarditis usually recover 4-6 weeks after the treatment. Nevertheless, the condition can relapse in the future. That is why prevention of the infection is much more important than its treatment.
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