Final answer:
Infective endocarditis is diagnosed using blood cultures, echocardiograms, and the assessment of clinical symptoms, supplemented by microbial susceptibility tests for antibiotic treatment. The condition involves the infection of the heart's endocardial surface, potentially leading to severe complications if not treated promptly.
Step-by-step explanation:
The diagnosis of infective endocarditis is typically achieved through a combination of methods including blood cultures, echocardiograms, and the observation of clinical symptoms. Acute endocarditis dictates quick and decisive treatment often requiring high doses of intravenous antibiotics. These antibiotics are chosen based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Bacterial endocarditis involves the infection of the endocardium, often by bacteria entering the bloodstream during dental procedures or other instances of broken barrier defenses.
Subacute bacterial endocarditis reveals itself more gradually over months, with vegetations forming on heart valves leading to immune response and potential fibrosis. Diagnosis is challenged by symptoms that mimic other diseases. Tests like PCR to detect distinctive genes from pathogens can confirm diagnoses for acute-stage infections when immediate treatment decisions are crucial.
Questions related to diseases resulting from breaches in medical practices, like bacterial endocarditis caused by an incident during oral surgery, are categorized as iatrogenic diseases. Finally, the presence of infectious arthritis, like endocarditis, can be confirmed by aspiration of synovial fluid and analyses such as direct microscopic evaluation, culture, and PCR.