???Infective endocarditis (IE) is defined as an infection of the endocardial surface of the heart, which may include one or more heart valves, the mural endocardium, or a septal defect. Its intracardiac effects include severe valvular insufficiency, which may lead to intractable congestive heart failure and myocardial abscesses. If left untreated, IE is generally fatal. IE is a changing disease with new diagnostic techniques, new therapeutic strategies, more frequent elderly people and patients with prosthetic valves of intravenous drug users.