- Some patients require pre-appointment antibiotics, for example, for mitral valve prolapse. Usually, the antibiotics need to be taken 1 hour before the appointment. The patient MUST take the antibiotics as prescribed to protect themselves from what can become a life threatening situation.

- If you are an established patient and need a prescription for your pre-appointment antibiotics, please call our office.

- The current pre-medication guidelines are available from the American Heart Association. The website is www.americanheart.org. A very good, concise, guide is downloadable from the American Heart Association called the Bacterial Endocarditis Wallet Card and can easily be downloaded by clicking on the link on the following web page: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3003000. Justclick on the link and your browser will open a new window.