A 34-year-old man who is an intravenous drug user has presented to the emergency department with malaise, abdominal pain, and lethargy. The health care team wants to rule out endocarditis as a diagnosis. Staff of the department would most realistically anticipate which of the following sets of diagnostics?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An echocardiogram would help visualize the heart, while blood cultures would confirm the presence or absence of microorganisms in circulation, and temperature would gauge the presence of infection. A chest x-ray, blood pressure measurement, and cardiac catheterization would be less likely to indicate infective endocarditis.

A 34-Year-Old Man Who Is an Intravenous Drug User Has