Antibiotics for Heart Children

CHANGE IN POLICY FOR USE OF PREVENTATIVE ANTIOBIOTICS FOR HEART CHILDREN
With effect from 17th March 08, NICE (National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence) recommends that people at risk of infective endocarditis (IE), which includes children with heart conditions, are no longer offered antibiotics before dental and medical procedures.

Two documents are available for your information: Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Trust Guidelines on changes in use of antibiotics to prevent Endocarditis. The other, based on guidelines issued by the Department of Congenital Heart Disease at the Evelina is entitled Change in policy for use of preventative antibiotices for Heart Children.

The guideline is based on the findings from an investigation carried out by NICE into the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing IE. The investigation concluded that there is no consistent association between having a dental or other interventional procedure and development of IE. The new guideline and supporting press release is available to download from the NICE website.