Information for the public
About this information
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NICE guidelines provide advice on the care and support that should be offered to people who use health and care services. |
This information explains the advice about preventing infective endocarditis that is set out in NICE guideline CG64, first published in 2008. In 2016, some changes were made to the wording of the guideline, and we have updated this information to help make it clearer and easier to understand what NICE has said.
Does this information apply to me?
Yes, if you are an adult or child having a dental procedure or certain medical procedures, or a woman preparing for childbirth, and you are at risk of infective endocarditis because:
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you have certain problems affecting the structure of your heart (such as a replacement heart valve or a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, in which the muscle wall of the heart becomes thickened) or
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you have had infective endocarditis in the past (whether or not you have an underlying heart problem).
No, if you are:
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at risk of infective endocarditis but do not have heart problems (for example, if you inject drugs).