International Collaboration on Endocarditis

Despite many advances in the understanding and treatment of infective endocarditis (IE) in the last 20 years, uncertainties remain about many aspects of IE. For instance, recent evidence discounting the relationship between dental and other risk factors and the subsequent development of IE may provoke a need to reexamine the policy of routine antibiotic prophylaxis for the prevention of IE. In addition, although any of several antibiotics may be used to treat the common causative agents of IE, few randomized trials have been conducted to define optimal therapy. As well, the optimal role and timing of surgery has not been definitively established. Finally, it is troubling that mortality remains high, approaching 40% at one year, despite rapid medical progress over the last 20 years.

The International Collaboration on Endocarditis (ICE) aims to provide a mechanism to advance the understanding of endocarditis in areas that are difficult to study by traditional clinical research methods. The multinational nature of the collaboration should also provide a global view of IE and opportunities for studies such as randomized trials of therapeutic treatment strategies.