Postoperative Intensive Care After Surgery for Infective Endocarditis

Open heart surgery is required and lifesaving for many patients with infective endocarditis (IE). Physiologic alterations secondary to the stress of cardiac surgery and cardiopulmonary bypass, associated with the complex and challenging scenarios posed by IE, can have a significant detrimental impact on multiple organ systems. Successful management following cardiac surgery requires a multidisciplinary team to provide timely assessment and therapeutic intervention for this very complex and high-risk patient population.