Bacterial endocarditis treated with intramuscular teicoplanin
Chauhan, S.; D'Cruz, S.; Sachdev, A.; Singh, R.
Singapore Medical Journal 48(9): e248-e249
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 0037-5675 PMID: 17728952 Document Number: 612534
Right-sided endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in parenteral drug abusers is potentially life-threatening, more so in the presence of pulmonary embolisation, and a course of parental antibiotics is required for at least four weeks. A combination of intravenous cloxacillin and aminoglycosides has proven efficacious for more than 90 percent of the patients. Intravenous vancomycin can also be used in cases of penicillin allergy or methicillin-resistant staphylococci. Intravenous teicoplanin, a glycopeptide with a similar antimicrobial profile to vancomycin, has been used with a somewhat lesser degree of success in these cases and is not recommended as first line therapy. We describe a 37-year-old man, a parenteral drug user, who had right-sided endocarditis, where in the absence of other alternatives, teicoplanin had to be administered intramuscularly and not intravenously.