Widow Ash Frisby, whose husband Brigadier Myles Frisby died of infective endocarditis following dental appointment wins fight to change antibiotic guidelines

Brigadier Myles Frisby, 71, died in December 2014 after developing endocarditis, a rare infection of the inner lining of the heart that can prove fatal for people with pre-existing conditions.

Two months earlier Brigadier Frisby, who underwent a heart-valve replacement in 2006, visited his dental hygienist for a routine check-up.

It was only after her husband’s death that Ash Frisby, 59, discovered the link between dental procedures and infective endocarditis in high-risk patients – and that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended against patients receiving antibiotic cover during treatment.

Mrs Frisby, of Sanderstead, said: “I know now it is quite a rare thing. It is also quite a devastating disease for people like my husband. He was linked up to every machine imaginable. Everything was packing up.

"I realised the problem is the guidelines, and its completely out of step with everywhere else.”

In 2008 Nice changed its guidance to recommend against using prophylactic antibiotics to protect against infective endocarditis – despite contrary advice followed by doctors in the USA and the rest of Europe.

A 2014 study funded by the charity and healthcare provider Simplyhealth found there had been an increase in UK cases of infective endocarditis since the 2008 change.

After her initial attempts to change the guidance were rebuffed by Nice, at the start of this year Mrs Frisby contacted Croydon South Conservative MP Chris Philp, who agreed to help her lobby the regulator.

MP Chris Philp and Ash Frisby

Supported by Professor Martin Thornhill, of the University of Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, the pair continued to put pressure on Nice, citing a number of senior doctors and academics who supported a change in the guidance.

And last month, Mr Philp received written confirmation from the regulator that antibiotic prophylaxis against infective endocarditis would now only be discouraged “routinely”, allowing for greater flexibility when treating high-risk patients.

Mrs Frisby said although she had hoped for a specific set of recommendations, the change was a “step in the right direction”.

She added: “It’s quite important. It’s not a mean achievement.

"We have got to keep going. If yo can show them that there is something wrong with what they're doing...then you've got a chance."

Paying tribute to Mrs Frisby’s determination in the face of “bureaucratic stonewalling” from Nice, Mr Philp said: “It is a tragedy Brigadier Myles Frisby died in 2014, but at least we can take comfort from the fact that we have changed the rules nationally as a result.”

Almost two years since the death of her husband, who was awarded an OBE for his service to the military in the 1980s, Mrs Frisby still finds it hard to believe the cause of his final illness.

She said: “It’s difficult losing someone in those circumstances. He wasn’t ill...He was just going about his day-to-day life, something as simple as going to see a dental hygienist.

"You don't think you're putting yourself at risk."

Andrew Dillon, chief executive of Nice, said: “Working with Chris Philp and Mrs Frisby enabled us to spot and clarify an important aspect of our guideline and we are grateful to them both for their efforts. The guideline is now clearer that in individual cases, antibiotic prophylaxis may be appropriate.

"As with all our clinical guidelines, health care professionals should take into account our recommendations, the individual wishes of the patient and use their clinical judgement to decide the most appropriate course of treatment.”

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