MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
February 9, 2010
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary Pet Health
Font Size
A
A
A


Endocarditis

Revising Medical Author: Daniel Kulick, MD, FACC, FSCAI
Revising Medical Editor: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

What is endocarditis?

Endocarditis is a serious infection of one of the four heart valves.

What causes endocarditis?

Endocarditis is caused by a growth of bacteria on one of the heart valves, leading to an infected mass called a "vegetation". The infection may be introduced during brief periods of having bacteria in the bloodstream, such as after dental work, colonoscopy, and other similar procedures.



Next: What are the symptoms of endocarditis? »

Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend


Suggested Reading by Our Doctors
MedicineNet Doctors
  • amoxicillin, Amoxil, Dispermox, Trimox - Learn more about amoxicillin, including a description, generic and brand names, drug class and mechanism, preparations, storage, reasons for prescription, dosing, effect on pregnancy and nursing mothers, and common side effects.
  • Colonoscopy - Learn about the colonscopy procedure, what it is, why it is performed, preparation, complications, alternatives and the after effects of the screening exam on MedicineNet.com
  • Night Sweats - Night sweats have many different causes. A doctors must take a complete medical history and order tests to find the cause of the underlying medical condition that is responsible for night sweats.

Latest Medical News



Heart Health

Get the latest treatment options.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain



Endocarditis

What is aortic stenosis?

Aortic stenosis is abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve. A number of conditions cause disease resulting in narrowing of the aortic valve. When the degree of narrowing becomes significant enough to impede the flow of blood from the left ventricle to the arteries, heart problems develop. The basic mechanism is as follows:

  • The heart is a muscular pump with four chambers and four heart valves.
  • The upper chambers, the right atrium and left atrium (atria - plural for atrium), are thin walled filling chambers.
  • Blood flows from the right and left atria across the tricuspid and mitral valves into the lower chambers (right and left ventricles).
  • The right and left ventricles have thick muscular walls for pumping blood across the pulmonic and aortic valves into the circulation.
  • Heart valves are thin leaflets of tissue which open and close at the proper time during each heart beat cycle...

Read the Aortic Stenosis article »











Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Image Collection | Medical Dictionary | Pet Health

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Blood Pressure | Cancer | Chronic Pain | Cold & Flu | Diabetes | Digestion | Eyesight | Health & Living | Healthy Kids

Hearing & Ear | Heart | Infectious Disease | Men's Health | Mental Health | News & Views | Pregnancy | Sexual Health | Skin | Women's Health | More...

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Newsletters | RSS Feeds | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2010 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.