- Diagnostic criteria for infective endocarditis
Criteria
Major criteria
- Blood culture positive for IE
- Typical bacteria from 2 separate blood cultures
- Viridans group streptococci, Streptococcus bovis, HACEK group, Staphylococcus aureus
- Community-acquired enterococci in the absence of another focus
- Consistent organisms with persistently-positive blood cultures
- ≥2 positive cultures drawn >12 h apart
- 3 or a majority of ≥4 cultures positive, with first and last sample drawn at least 1 h apart
- Single positive blood culture for Coxiella burnetii or antiphase I IgG antibody titre >1:800
- Typical bacteria from 2 separate blood cultures
- Evidence of endocardial involvement
- Echocardiogram positive for IE
- New valvular regurgitation
Minor criteria
- Predisposing heart condition (mitral valve prolapse, prior infective endocarditis, or bicuspid aortic valve) or injection drug use
- Fever >38ºC
- Vascular phenomena
- Major arterial emboli
- Septic pulmonary infarcts
- Mycotic aneurysm
- Intracranial hemorrhage
- Conjunctival hemorrhage
- Janeway lesions
- Immunologic phenomena
- Positive blood cultures not meeting a major criterion, or consistent serology that is not Coxiella
Interpretation
- Definite infective endocarditis if meets pathologic criteria, or if one of:
- 2 major, or
- 1 major and 3 minor, or
- 5 minor
- Possible infective endocarditis if one of
- 1 major and 1 minor, or
- 3 minor