Early valve surgery should be scheduled when there is heart failure due to the valve dysfunction, left-sided infective<unk>  due to Staphylococcus aureus, fungal or highly resistant organisms, or a heart block, annular or aortic abscess or destructive lesions.  Other<unk>  include persistent bacteremia or fever 5 to 7 following the initiation of the antibiotics, relapse of the infection depsite a complete course of antibiotics in prosthetic valve<unk>  when no portal of infection can be identified, recurrent emboli and persistent vegetations despite antibiotic therapy, and mobile vegetations with a length more than 10 mm in native valve<unk> .  Surgical removal of the valve is necessary in patients who fail to clear micro-organisms from their blood in response to antibiotic therapy, or in patients who develop cardiac failure resulting from destruction of a valve by infection. A removed valve is usually replaced with an artificial valve which may either be mechanical (metallic) or obtained from an animal such as a pig; the latter are termed bioprosthetic valves.  Surgical treatment of<unk>  involves excision of all infected valve tissue, drainage and debridement of abscess cavities, repair or replacement of damaged valves, and repair of any associated pathology such as fistulas or septal defects.
Endocarditis surgical indications
Endocarditis surgical treatment
Coronary artery bypass surgery indications
Endocarditis differential diagnosis
Pericardial effusion risk factors
Aortic regurgitation surgery indications
Pericarditis other diagnostic studies
Aortic dissection medical therapy