Which antibiotic is used for endocarditis prophylaxis?
Several antibiotics are available for endocarditis prophylaxis. The most common are amoxicillin, ampicillin and clindamycin. These antibiotics cover the common bacteria and pathogens that are responsible in most cases.
Only in certain situations other antibiotics have to be used. This can be, for example, a penicillin allergy or an altered bacterial spectrum. Certain accompanying infections often require antibiotics against specific or multi-resistant pathogens. For example, multi-resistant staphylococci, a type of bacteria that makes treatment more difficult, are becoming increasingly common. The antibiotic is usually taken one hour before treatment and administered directly in the practice or, for example, if the patient has regular teeth cleaning, a prescription is issued beforehand so that the patient can obtain and take the antibiotic in the pharmacy.
Endocarditis prophylaxis card
Nowadays there are agreements among all German speaking countries regarding endocarditis guidelines and prophylaxis. Especially for high-risk patients there are forms for endocarditis cards available on the corresponding internet pages and from the German Heart Foundation. These cards should always be worn by the persons concerned, similar to an organ donor card, in case interventions have to be performed in an emergency. On this ID card, in addition to name and age, the reason for a necessary endocarditis prophylaxis is mentioned, as well as an intolerance to the most important antibiotics.
