**Meet the editor**

Dr. Michael S. Firstenberg is a board-certified thoracic surgeon practicing adult cardiac surgery at The Medical Center of Aurora (Colorado, USA) where he serves as the Chief of Cardiothoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. He currently holds adjunct appointments in the Colleges of Medicine and Graduate Studies at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He attended Case Western Reserve

University Medical School, received his General Surgery training at University Hospitals in Cleveland, and completed a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at The Ohio State University. He also obtained advanced training in heart failure surgical therapies at the Cleveland Clinic. He has lectured worldwide and written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, numerous textbook chapters, and edited several books. In addition, he is active in numerous professional societies, clinical research projects, and multidisciplinary leadership committees.

Contents

**Preface VII**

**Endocarditis 3** Michael S. Firstenberg

**Section 2 Diagnosis and Medical Management 15**

Chapter 3 **Endocarditis Caused by Abiotrophia and Granulicatella Species 41**

Chapter 4 **Blood Culture-Negative Endocarditis 59**

Fabian Andres Giraldo Vallejo

**Echocardiography 71**

Mio Ebato

Luminita Iliuta

**Section 3 Surgical Therapy 83**

John F. Sedgwick and Gregory M. Scalia

Chapter 1 **Introductory Chapter: Introduction to Advanced Concepts in**

Chapter 2 **The Role of Modern-Era Echocardiography in Identification of Cardiac Risk Factors for Infective Endocarditis 17**

Gul Madison, Reshma Golamari and Priyanka Bhattacharya

Chapter 5 **Prediction of Embolic Events in Infective Endocarditis Using**

Chapter 6 **Surgical Management of Mitral Valve Endocarditis 85**

**Section 1 Introduction 1**
