Bacteremia associated with gastrointestinal procedures is a real event.
Post-procedure bacteremia first became recognized as a potential problem when the association of bacteremia and dental procedures was noted 1 . An experimental model of endocarditis was developed in rabbits and when bacteremia was induced, endocarditis was increased 2 . These and other findings led physicians to recommend penicillin prophylaxis for patients with certain heart lesions to try to prevent bacterial endocarditis 3 . Penicillin has been shown to decrease the amount of bacteremia following dental procedures but it has not been demonstrated to decrease the risk of endocarditis 3 . A recent paper reviewed the risk of endocarditis following dental procedures, suggesting that the perhaps this risk was overestimated 4 .