Opioid abuse surveillance in patients with endocarditis.

Background: Opioid abuse is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, and injection drug use (IDU) is a common form of opioid abuse. IDU is a major risk factor for infections including infective endocarditis (IE).

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of opioid abuse among patients with IE in both patient problem lists and diagnostic codes and describe underlying patient characteristics.