Infective endocarditis (IE) remains a dangerous disease and continues to have a high mortality rate. Unfortunately, despite continuous improvements in diagnostic methods, in many cases, blood cultures remain negative, and the pathogen causing endocarditis is unknown. This makes targeted therapy and the selection of appropriate antibiotics impossible. Therefore, we present what methods can be used to identify the pathogen in infective endocarditis. These are mainly molecular methods, including PCR and MGS, as well as imaging methods using radiotracers, which offer more possibilities for diagnosing IE. However, they are still not widely used in the diagnosis of IE. The article summarizes in which cases we should choose them and what we are most hopeful about in further research into the diagnosis of IE. In addition, registered clinical trials that are currently underway for the diagnosis of IE are also presented.

One of the main causes of heart failure is cardiomyopathies. Among them, the most common is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), characterized by thickening of the left ventricular muscle. This article focuses on HCM and other cardiomyopathies with myocardial hypertrophy, including Fabry disease, Pompe disease, and Danon disease. The genetics and pathogenesis of these diseases are described, as well as current and experimental treatment options, such as pharmacological intervention and the potential of gene therapies. Although genetic approaches are promising and have the potential to become the best treatments for these diseases, further research is needed to evaluate their efficacy and safety. This article describes current knowledge and advances in the treatment of the aforementioned cardiomyopathies.

The number of patients who underwent total correction of Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) in early life or infancy is still rising. According to CDC ToF is the most prevalent cyanotic congenital heart disease with incidences of 1 in 2500 births. Rhythm disturbances and haemodynamic disturbances including valves disorders, heart failure, residual defects and more are new challenges for clinicians taking care of adult patients with repaired ToF. Our goal was to describe such a patient and highlight further complications which may be encountered among those patients.

DOI: 10.20452/pamw.16458, Published online: March 06, 2023, Authors: Anna Burban, Agnieszka Kołodzińska, Małgorzata Kobylecka, Joanna Mączewska, Piotr Scisło, Marcin Grabowski