New Guidelines for Heart Patients

There was a recent article on The American Dental Association web site that published a recent revision in the recommended use of anti-biotics prior to a dental visit. These new recommendations apply to many dental procedures, including teeth cleaning and extractions.

For years, The American Heart Association advised patients take anti-biotics just before a dental visit if they have certain heart conditions. The prevailing thought has been that doing so would prevent infective endocarditis, also known as bacterial endocarditis.

The latest guidelines published in the AHA’s scientific journal in April 2007 adjust their recommendation. In short, the AHA recommends that most patients with heart conditions not take short-term anti-biotics before a visit to the dentist as a precaution for endorcarditis.

Preventive anti-biotics prior to a dental procedure still are advised for patients with:

1. artificial heart valves
2. a history of infective endocarditis
3. certain specific, serious congenital (present from birth) heart conditions, including
* unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease, including those with palliative shunts and conduits
* a completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by 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
4. a cardiac transplant that develops a problem in a heart valve.

Patients with congenital heart disease can have complicated circumstances. They should check with their cardiologist if there is any question at all as to the category that best fits their needs.

You can learn more about this at ada.org.