Recent Advances in Infective Endocarditis; When and How to Transition to Oral Antibiotic Treatment

Infective endocarditis is a significant clinical challenge with abysmal morbidity and mortality for those who are affected. Diagnostics remain difficult and outcomes have only improved slightly over the past decades, yet—and encouraging—more high-level evidence is emerging in the field with meaningful improvements for patients. The European Society of Cardiology recently published their updated endocarditis guidelines,[1] and the major change was based on the Partial Oral versus Intravenous Antibiotic Treatment of Endocarditis (POET) study.[2] The POET study lays the ground for switching patients with stable left-sided infective endocarditis from intravenous to oral antibiotic treatment.