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Diagnosis

The diagnosis of endocarditis may be suggested by the patient's symptoms and by physical examination. Unfortunately, the symptoms are often nonspecific and may only suggest the condition.

In most cases, patients with endocarditis experience fever. During physical examination, the physician often discovers a new heart murmur. Heart murmurs are sounds heard with a stethoscope that occur when there is abnormal, turbulent blood flow in the heart. The development of a leaky heart val...Read the full article