What factors should be taken into account when selecting medical therapy for patients with culture-negative IE?
When selecting medical therapy for patients with culture-negative IE, there are several factors that need to be taken into account, such as the epidemiological factors (Table 6), history of prior infections including cardiovascular infections, exposure to antimicrobials, clinical course, severity, and extracardiac sites of infection of the current infection. Additionally, certain therapeutic agents, such as aminoglycosides, have potentially toxic effects that should be considered when deciding on medical therapy.