Editing Endocarditis (section)

{{Short description|Inflammation of the heart's inner layer (endocardium)}}
{{Infobox medical condition (new)
| name            = Endocarditis
| image           = Blood_culture_negative_endocarditis.jpg
| caption         = ''Bartonella henselae'' bacilli in cardiac valve of a patient with blood culture-negative endocarditis. The bacilli appear as black granulations.
| field           = [[Cardiology]], [[Infectious disease (medical specialty)|infectious disease]]
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'''Endocarditis''' is an [[inflammation]] of the inner layer of the [[heart]], the [[endocardium]]. It usually involves the [[heart valve]]s. Other structures that may be involved include the [[interventricular septum]], the [[chordae tendineae]], the mural endocardium, or the surfaces of intracardiac devices. Endocarditis is characterized by lesions, known as ''[[Vegetation (pathology)|vegetations]]'', which are masses of [[platelet]]s, [[fibrin]], [[microcolony|microcolonies]] of microorganisms, and scant inflammatory cells.<ref name=Harrison>{{cite book | vauthors= Kasper DL, Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Hauser S, Longo DL, Jameson JL | author3-link= Anthony Fauci | title = Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine | publisher = [[McGraw-Hill]] |date=May 2005 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/harrisonsprincip00kasp/page/n759 731]–740  | isbn = 978-0-07-139140-5 | oclc = 54501403| title-link= Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine }}</ref> In the [[subacute]] form of infective endocarditis, a vegetation may also include a center of [[granuloma|granulomatous tissue]], which may [[Fibrosis|fibrose]] or calcify.<ref name=Robbins>{{cite book |vauthors=Mitchell RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL, Abbas AK, Fausto N |title=Robbins Basic Pathology |publisher=Saunders/Elsevier |edition= 8th |year=2007 |pages=406–408 |isbn=978-1-4160-2973-1}}</ref>

There are several ways to classify endocarditis. The simplest classification is based on cause: either ''infective'' or ''non-infective'', depending on whether a [[microorganism]] is the source of the inflammation or not. Regardless, the diagnosis of endocarditis is based on clinical features, investigations such as an [[echocardiogram]], and [[blood culture]]s demonstrating the presence of endocarditis-causing microorganisms.

Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, sweating, malaise, weakness, anorexia, weight loss, [[splenomegaly]], flu-like feeling, cardiac murmur, heart failure, [[petechia]] (red spots on the skin), [[Osler's node]]s (subcutaneous nodules found on hands and feet), [[Janeway lesion]]s (nodular lesions on palms and soles), and [[Roth's spot]]s (retinal hemorrhages).