Overview

If you have certain heart conditions, you may need to take preventive antibiotics before you have some dental or surgical procedures that could put bacteria or fungi into your blood. These antibiotics lower your risk of getting endocarditis.

You may need preventive antibiotics if you:

• Had an endocarditis infection in the past.
• Have an implanted heart device such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).
• Have hemodialysis access or a central vascular access device.
• Have abnormal or damaged heart valves.
• Had a heart valve replaced or repaired.
• Have a congenital heart defect.

Your doctor can give you a special card to carry in your wallet if you need these antibiotics before certain dental or surgical procedures.

Why not everyone should use antibiotics

Antibiotics are useful in reducing the risk of endocarditis if you have certain heart conditions. But in order to protect your health, your doctor may not always recommend them because:

• Taking antibiotics may not be needed.
• Taking antibiotics may be dangerous to your health if you are allergic to the drug.
• Taking more antibiotics than needed can lead to stronger antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are harder to treat with medicines.

Antibiotic resistance

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria are able to resist drugs that were previously able to kill the bacteria. Antibiotic resistance is most common in situations that involve improper, unneeded, and incomplete use of prescription antibiotics. But resistance can also occur through correct antibiotic usage.

Antibiotic resistance is dangerous, because one type of bacteria can acquire the ability to survive certain drugs and then exchange this ability with other types of bacteria. When resistance to a particular medicine is widespread, the antibiotic becomes ineffective. Then scientists must find an adequate replacement. The only way for bacteria to develop resistance is through exposure to these antibiotics. So doctors try to use these drugs only when appropriate and necessary. This reduces the chances of resistance.

Always try to prevent antibiotic resistance. This can be done by:

• Completing the course of drugs that you have been given. Antibiotics typically take several days to kill bacteria. If you take a partial course, you are teaching bacteria to survive the antibiotic.
• Not stockpiling partial prescriptions and self-dosing with antibiotics.