Cairo University Faculty of Medicine

Department of Cardiovascular Medicine

To: All colleagues

Subject:

1.        Invitation to share experience for the care of patients with suspected or proven infective endocarditis.

2.        Establishment of an infective endocarditis service in Cairo University.

 AUTOTEXTLIST Dear colleagues:

The Department of Cardiovascular Medicine is currently in the process of establishing a special service to promote the early diagnosis and appropriate therapy for patients with infective endocarditis.

Our aim is to:

1.        Exchange experience,

2.        Promote training for the care of this condition

3.        Have more complete data about the incidence and severity of this disease in patients admitted to Cairo University teaching hospitals.

We are ready to share the responsibility of diagnosis and therapeutic decision making in these patients who still have a very high morbidity and mortality.

(THIS APPLIES ONLY TO PATIENTS WITHIN CAIRO UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS).

For patients elsewhere, we are willing to offer advice and share experience.   

  The Cardiology Department will be grateful for your cooperation.

Please make this initiative known to your staff and trainees.

If you have patients with suspected infective endocarditis please:

o        Delay / withhold antibiotic therapy for only one to six hours (unless – in the judgment of the treating physician – the condition is too urgent (which is rarely the case).

o        Call our associates on the phone numbers given below and our staff will attend to the patient within one work day.

1- Blood cultures (three aerobic and three anaerobic) will be drawn within 24 hours ( or within 1-6 hours in the critically ill patient) to allow for prompt initiation of antibiotic therapy.

2- We will also arrange for a trans-thoracic  echocardiographic examination by an experienced operator within one working day, and should a trans-esophageal echo prove necessary we will also undertake it within 1-2 days.

3- A doctor from the endocarditis service will be primarily in charge of co-managing the patient in association with your physician in charge. 

Our team shall contact the laboratory and the cardiothoracic surgery department (when necessary) and keep you informed of the clinical developments of your patient.

4- You will always have access to all data of patients from your department.

We look forward to your cooperation for our mutual benefit , and for the sake of patients with this highly lethal disease.

Yours sincerely,

Hussien H. Rizk, MD                                             Sherif M. El-Tobgy, MD

Physician in charge                                               Chairman

Contact                                  Cellular telephone

Karim Said, MS                     010 122 1256         

Hussein Heshmat, MS           012 736 4053         

Dina Osama, MB,BCh           010 619 2134         

Hussien Rizk, MD                 012 398 3555