Antibiotic Premedication
According to the American Heart Association, there are only a few cardiac conditions that require premedication. Please inform our staff if you need a premedication called in for you prior to your procedure. Bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream and infect some of the implanted devices that are big part of making our lives longer, happier, and healthier. These oral bacteria can be life-threatening, so be sure to inform us.
**An Update on Antibiotic Premedication Guidelines as of April 19, 2007**
In a recent news release from the American Heart Association and the American Dental Association, new guidelines for antibiotic premedications have been established. The new guidelines state that antibiotics are now only recommended for high-risk patients.
For many years, it was recommended that patients with certain heart conditions take a premedication before dental treatment to help eliminate the chance of developing infectious endocarditis (IE), an infection that affects the heart's inner lining or valves. IE develops when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart.
These new recommendations are evidence-based from a complete review of all existing information. This is a drastic change from what has been recommended for the past 50 years.
Conditions that require a premedication:
- Artificial Heart Valves
- Prior history of bacterial endocarditis (also referred to infectious endocarditis)
- Certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions
- Unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including palliative shunts and conduits
- A completely repaired congenital heart defect with a prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or catheter intervention, during the first six months after the procedure
- Any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or a prosthetic device
- A cardiac transplant which develops a problem in a heart valve
- Joint replacement (within the first 2 years)
Conditions that DO NOT require a premedication:
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Heart Murmur
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Bicuspid Valve Disease
- Calcified Aortic Stenosis
- Congenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Bone plates and screws
- Pacemaker
- Implanted Insulin Pump
- Implanted Defibrillator
- Facial, breast, or penile implants
The American Heart Association recommendations for premedication in adults are as follows:
- Amoxicillin, 2,000 mg one hour prior to surgery
- Cleocin, 600 mg one hour prior to surgery (if you are allergic to Penicillin)
If a special antibiotic has been recommended by your physician, we will be able to provide it for you. Children require antibiotic premedication in accordance with their body weight. If you will inform us of your child’s weight, we will select the correct dosage for your child prior to his/her treatment.
Please visit http://www.ada.org for more information.
These articles are the property of Musser & Richards, LLC, and may not be reprinted without prior permission.
Antibiotic Premedication
According to the American Heart Association, there are only a few cardiac conditions that require premedication. Please inform our staff if you need a premedication called in for you prior to your procedure. Bacteria from the mouth can enter the blood stream and infect some of the implanted devices that are big part of making our lives longer, happier, and healthier. These oral bacteria can be life-threatening, so be sure to inform us.
**An Update on Antibiotic Premedication Guidelines as of April 19, 2007**
In a recent news release from the American Heart Association and the American Dental Association, new guidelines for antibiotic premedications have been established. The new guidelines state that antibiotics are now only recommended for high-risk patients.
For many years, it was recommended that patients with certain heart conditions take a premedication before dental treatment to help eliminate the chance of developing infectious endocarditis (IE), an infection that affects the heart's inner lining or valves. IE develops when bacteria enter the bloodstream and travel to the heart.
These new recommendations are evidence-based from a complete review of all existing information. This is a drastic change from what has been recommended for the past 50 years.
Conditions that require a premedication:
- Artificial Heart Valves
- Prior history of bacterial endocarditis (also referred to infectious endocarditis)
- Certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions
- Unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including palliative shunts and conduits
- A completely repaired congenital heart defect with a prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or catheter intervention, during the first six months after the procedure
- Any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or a prosthetic device
- A cardiac transplant which develops a problem in a heart valve
- Joint replacement (within the first 2 years)
Conditions that DO NOT require a premedication:
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Heart Murmur
- Rheumatic Heart Disease
- Bicuspid Valve Disease
- Calcified Aortic Stenosis
- Congenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Bone plates and screws
- Pacemaker
- Implanted Insulin Pump
- Implanted Defibrillator
- Facial, breast, or penile implants
The American Heart Association recommendations for premedication in adults are as follows:
- Amoxicillin, 2,000 mg one hour prior to surgery
- Cleocin, 600 mg one hour prior to surgery (if you are allergic to Penicillin)
If a special antibiotic has been recommended by your physician, we will be able to provide it for you. Children require antibiotic premedication in accordance with their body weight. If you will inform us of your child’s weight, we will select the correct dosage for your child prior to his/her treatment.
Please visit http://www.ada.org for more information.
These articles are the property of Musser & Richards, LLC, and may not be reprinted without prior permission.