Dr. Charles Danna, MDDS treasurer, sent the following letter to his pre-med patients in consideration of the new IE guidelines. Feel free to duplicate and send to your pre-med patients.
Dear Patient:
We wish to ensure your well being and health by asking you to review the following information. In the past we have asked you to take antibiotics before certain dental procedures. The American Heart Association has changed its guidelines in stating that most of the patients to whom we have been giving short-term antibiotics as a preventive measure before dental treatment no longer need to follow this procedure.
The patients that fall into this category are patients with the following:
- Mitral valve prolapse
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Bicuspid valve disease
- Calcified aortic stenosis
- Congenital heart conditions such as ventricular septal defects, atrial septal defect and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Preventive antibiotics are still advised for some conditions. We have enclosed a copy of the American Heart Association's recommendations. Please review this with your physician, so that we may follow his/her opinion on your needs.
