Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis: chest x-ray, blood tests, echocardiogram, blood count, ct scan, cardiac mri

Infective Endocarditis - Diagnosis

Diagnosis of infective endocarditis (IE) normally starts with a physical examination by a doctor, assessing your medical history and conducting routine tests. Other tests recommended may include:

Chest X-ray: Helps determine if the infection from IE has spread to the lungs or caused swelling in the heart.
Blood tests: Demonstrates elevated inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein. Results from a blood cultures (blood tests taken over time) can help identify germs or bacteria in the bloodstream and thus allow the doctor to prescribe the relevant antibiotics for treatment.
Complete blood count: A high count of white blood cells indicates infection. A low count of red blood cells can also be a sign of IE.
Echocardiogram: An ultrasound scan of the heart can show how well the heart, its chambers and its valves are functioning. An echocardiogram is mostly used to check for clumps of bacteria, damage to heart valves or heart tissue. In some cases, a transoesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) might be used to provide clearer images of the heart.
Cardiac Computed Tomography (CT): Allows the doctor to check if the infection has spread to any other parts of the body.
Cardiac MRI: Usually requested if other modes of imaging are inadequate.