1/358. Donor-to-recipient transmission of bacteria as an unusual cause of mediastinitis in a heart transplant recipient. We present a 54-year-old male heart transplant recipient who developed mediastinitis caused by klebsiella oxytoca and veillonella species. culture of the donor's bronchus also grew K. oxytoca and a veillonella species. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed that the K. oxytoca isolates had identical banding patterns. This case illustrates transmission of pathogenic bacteria via a contaminated organ. ( info) |
2/358. guideline of surgical management based on diffusion of descending necrotizing mediastinitis. BACKGROUND: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis resulting from oropharyngeal abscess, is a serious, life-threatening infection. Exisiting strategies for surgical management, such as transcervical mediastinal drainage or aggressive thoracotomic drainage, remain controversial. methods: Four patients, (three males and one female) were treated for descending necrotizing mediastinitis resulting from oropharyngeal infection. Two had peritonsillar abscesses, while the others experienced dental abscess and submaxillaritis. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis received its classification according to the degree of diffusion of infection diagnosed by computed tomography. mediastinitis in two cases, (Localized descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type I), was localized to the upper mediastinal space above the carina. In the others, infection extended to the lower anterior mediastinum (Diffuse descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIA), and to both anterior and posterior lower mediastinum (Diffuse descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIB). The spread of infection to the pleural cavity occurred in three cases. RESULTS: The surgical outcome concerning each of the patients was successful. Radical cervicotomy (unilateral in three patients, bilateral in the other) in conjunction with mechanical ventilation with continuous postoperative positive airway pressure, was performed in all cases. tracheostomy was established in three patients and pharyngostomy in two. The two descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type I cases were successfully managed with transcervical mediastinal drainage. The descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIA case received treatment through transcervicotomy and anterior mediastinal drainage through a subxiphoidal incision. The patient with descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIB required posterior mediastinal drainage through a right standard thoracotomy followed by left minimal thoracotomy. CONCLUSIONS: The mediastinal infection, the extent of which has been accurately determined by computed tomograms, necessitates radical cervicotomy followed by pleuromediastinal drainage. Situations where infection has spread to posterior medisatinum, particularly when it reaches in the level of the carina (descending necrotizing mediastinitis-type I), may not always require aggressive mediastinal drainage. In comparison, diffuse descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIB demands complete mediastinal drainage with debridement via thoracotomy. Subxiphoidal mediastinal drainage without sternotomy may provide adequate drainage in diffuse descending necrotizing mediastinitis-Type IIA. ( info) |
3/358. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis caused by odontogenic infections. Intrathoracic dissemination of an odontogenic infection is very infrequent. The resulting clinical manifestation, known as descending necrotizing mediastinitis, causes high mortality. Due to the absence of early clinical or radiological signs, diagnosis is usually made only when the process is completely established. Treatment is a combination of intravenous antibiotics and mediastinal drainage, via either a cervical or a transthoracic approach. We report the clinical and microbiological characteristics of 4 patients with descending necrotizing mediastinitis, and their clinical course over a period of 10 years. ( info) |
4/358. A case of fibrosing mediastinitis with obstruction of superior vena cava and downhill esophageal varices: a rare cause of upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Fibrosing mediastinitis (FM) is an excessive fibrotic reaction that occurs in the mediastinum and may lead to compression of mediastinal structures (especially vascular or bronchial). In the present study we describe the first case report of FM, in a patient who developed downhill esophageal varices and bleeding, which was secondary to superior vena cava obstruction. ( info) |
5/358. Bronchial-atrial fistula after lung transplant resulting in fatal air embolism. We describe a rare case of fatal air embolism in a patient in whom a left atrial-bronchial fistula developed 1 month after single lung transplant. The cause was a combination of mediastinal infection and bronchial necrosis. ( info) |
6/358. Sclerosing mediastinitis: findings on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. Whole-body serial positron emission tomography scanning was done using fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) in a patient with a mediastinal mass. Uptake correlated well with the clinical symptoms and aggressiveness of the disease. Based on the F-18 FDG findings, a biopsy specimen was taken from the active region of the mass, which confirmed the diagnosis of sclerosing mediastinitis. ( info) |
7/358. Treatment of mediastinitis arising after replacement of the ascending aorta. mediastinitis due to graft infection is a serious and potentially lethal complication associated with replacement of the ascending aorta. We present the case of a 67-year-old man with this condition for the aneurysm and chronic dissection. mediastinitis and sepsis were diagnosed and debridement, irrigation with povidone solution and omental transposition were performed successfully. Continuous closed irrigation prior to omental transposition without replacement of the infected graft is useful for treating mediastinitis after ascending aortic or arch replacement. ( info) |
8/358. Indwelling catheter-induced right ventricular rupture. We describe a case of a 68-year-old man who, because of postoperative mediastinitis, underwent a multiple muscle flap closure of the mediastinum. A chronic indwelling catheter led to erosion and rupture of the anterior wall of the right ventricle. The near exsanguinating hemorrhage was corrected under circulatory arrest. A pericardial patch repair was performed with good results. ( info) |
9/358. Descending suppurative mediastinitis: nonsurgical approach to this unusual complication of retropharyngeal abscesses in childhood. OBJECTIVE: To alert the pediatric emergency physician about suppurative mediastinitis as an unusual, life-threatening complication of retropharyngeal abscesses in children and to report an alternative therapeutic option for these cases. methods: We describe a case of suppurative mediastinitis secondary to a retropharyngeal abscess in a 19-month-old girl and discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. RESULTS: Prompt diagnosis, based on clinical, radiographic, and CT findings, followed by immediate retropharyngeal drainage and appropriate antibiotic therapy, allowed conservative management of the mediastinal abscess, without the need for surgery. The child presented a good outcome and was discharged on hospital day 14. CONCLUSIONS: When evaluating a retropharyngeal abscess, the pediatric emergency physician should be aware of its complications. A chest radiograph should be prescribed for each patient presenting with an indolent course. Widening of the mediastinum should be considered as strong evidence of a mediastinal abscess for which the best therapeutic option is aggressive surgical drainage. In the rare cases in which marked improvement is achieved after retropharyngeal drainage, a nonsurgical approach to the mediastinal abscess could be attempted. CT scan and a simple chest radiograph have proved to be useful for diagnosis and follow-up. ( info) |
10/358. Benign mediastinal teratoma complicated by cardiac tamponade: report of a case. We present herein the case of a 48-year-old woman with a benign mediastinal teratoma that had been followed up for 3 years, who developed acute cardiac tamponade. The patient had initially undergone an exploratory sternotomy, at which time the tumor was histologically diagnosed as a benign mature teratoma that could not be resected due to its severe, wide adhesion to the surrounding organs. However, following the development of cardiac tamponade, both sternotomy and right intercostal thoracotomy were employed, and the tumor could be excised with cardiopulmonary bypass standby. High levels of amylase and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 were revealed in the pericardiac effusion fluid. The mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-8 in the tumor tissue was also demonstrated by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis. This case illustrates the ultimate natural course of benign mediastinal teratoma and emphasizes the importance of early surgical excision, even when this tumor is asymptomatic. ( info) |