Journal Information
Vol. 56. Issue 7.
Pages 457 (July 2020)
Clinical Image
Full text access
Spontaneous Pneumothorax due to Septic Pulmonary Embolism Caused by Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Neumotórax espontáneo secundario a embolias sépticas pulmonares por Staphylococcus aureus resistente a meticilina
Visits
1018
Horacio Matías Castro
Corresponding author
matiascas85@gmail.com

Corresponding author.
, Clara Lucia Torres Cabreros, Esteban Javier Wainstein
Sección de Neumonología, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
This item has received
Article information
Full Text
Bibliography
Download PDF
Statistics
Figures (1)
Full Text

We report the case of a 41-year-old woman with a history of kidney transplantation with chronic graft dysfunction, who was undergoing hemodialysis 3-times-weekly via temporary jugular catheter. The patient was admitted with a diagnosis of catheter sepsis with positive blood cultures for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. She developed sudden dyspnea and chest pain 72h after admission. A chest computed tomography was performed that showed right pneumothorax associated with cavitary pulmonary nodules (Fig. 1), some of which were peripheral. A diagnosis of spontaneous pneumothorax following rupture of septic cavitary emboli in the pleural space was established. The pneumothorax was treated with pleural drainage for 4 days. A 4-week course of antibiotic therapy with vancomycin was indicated, with good clinical progress.

Fig. 1.

Chest computed tomography: (A) coronal slice; (B and C) transversal slice. Peripheral cavitary pulmonary nodules (arrows) in the right and left upper lobe and right pneumothorax.

(0.06MB).

Catheter-associated infection is a frequent cause of septic pulmonary embolism.1 The causative microorganism is usually Staphylococcus aureus. Lesions are cavitary in 56% of cases1 and, when they occur in a peripheral site, they can open to the pleural space, triggering secondary spontaneous pneumothorax.2 This complication is rare and usually occurs between 5 and 15 days after starting antibiotic treatment.2

References
[1]
R. Ye, L. Zhao, C. Wang, X. Wu, H. Yan.
Clinical characteristics of septic pulmonary embolism in adults: a systematic review.
Respir Med, 108 (2014), pp. 1-8
[2]
M. Okabe, K. Kasai, T. Yokoo.
Pneumothorax secondary to septic pulmonary emboli in a long-term hemodialysis patient with psoas abscess.
Intern Med, 56 (2017), pp. 3243-3247

Please cite this article as: Castro HM, Torres Cabreros CL, Wainstein EJ. Neumotórax espontáneo secundario a embolias sépticas pulmonares por Staphylococcus aureus resistente a meticilina. Arch Bronconeumol. 2020;56:457.

Copyright © 2019. SEPAR
Archivos de Bronconeumología
Article options
Tools

Are you a health professional able to prescribe or dispense drugs?