Infective endocarditis
（重定向自Acute endocarditis）
![](/Images/godic/202412/17/Haemophilus_parainfluenzae_Endocarditis_PHIL_851_lores1310.jpg")
![Vegetation on the tricuspid valve by echocardiography. Arrow denotes the vegetation.](/Images/godic/202412/17/Endocarditis_ultrasound1310.gif")
Infective endocarditis is a form of endocarditis. It is an inflammation of the inner tissues of the heart, the endocardium (such as its valves). It is caused by infectious agents, or pathogens, which are usually bacterial but other organisms can also be responsible. Before the age of modern antibiotics it was almost universally fatal.