Pathophysiology

Infective endocarditis occurs when turbulence within the heart allows causative organism to infect previously damaged valves or other endothelial surfaces.

Vegetations consisting of fibrin, leukosytes, platelets and microbes adhere to the valve surface or endocardium. The loss of portions of the friable vegetations into the circulation result in embolization. Infection spread to heart valves leads to
valvular incompetence, CHF, generalized myocardial dysfunction and sepsis.