How would you balance the risk of intracranial hemorrhage with thrombosis of mechanical valves in patients with infective endocarditis?   

I'm not sure that there is a good answer to this question. If you look at it segmentally, clearly, patients with mechanical valves require anticoagulation, especially in the mitral position. In patients with endocarditis and native valves, whether or not to anticoagulate the patient after or before ...