Treatment of Staphylococcic Endocarditis

Abstract
Staphylococcic endocarditis is a difficult and frustrating therapeutic problem. The increasing number of penicillin-resistant strains,1-4the development of resistance during the course of therapy, and the fulminating and destructive nature of many staphylococcic infections combine to present the physician with an enormously difficult problem in clinical therapeutics. While at one time the Staphylococcus was responsible for only 9.5% of all cases of bacterial endocarditis,5Dowling2feels that the staphylococcic is now second in frequency only to the streptococcic type. Results of treatment have not been encouraging. In 1948, Guest and Harrison7were able to find but 12 instances of successful treatment of endocarditis due to Staphylococcus. Levinson, in 1950, reported 18 patients, with a mortality rate of 66%.1Dowling,2in 1952, reported 25 cases treated by penicillin, with a recovery rate of 52%. Fisher et al.8reported bacteriologic cure of 7 of 13 cases, or 54% survival. The type and