TY - CHAP AU - John F. Sedgwick AU - Gregory M. Scalia ED - Michael S. Firstenberg Y1 - 2016-11-09 PY - 2016 T1 - Advanced Echocardiography for the Diagnosis and Management of Infective Endocarditis N2 - Endocarditis remains an elusive challenge for clinicians to master. As the population ages and their comorbidities increase, the risk of infecting cardiac structures - both native and, the ever-increasing use of, prosthetic support technology - also increases. In addition, the global epidemic of intravenous substance abuse has also resulted in a substantial increase in the number of infected patients. Fortunately, advances in the diagnostic testing, imaging, and recognition of the importance of a multidisciplinary management team have also contributed to advances in the care of these critically ill patients. Nevertheless, optimal therapies need to be individualized and considered in the ever-increasing body of scientific literature on this complex and difficult problem. BT - Contemporary Challenges in Endocarditis SP - Ch. 4 UR - https://doi.org/10.5772/64800 DO - 10.5772/64800 SN - 978-953-51-2770-3 PB - IntechOpen CY - Rijeka Y2 - 2024-03-29 ER -