Purulent pericarditis following myocardial infarction.
A 75-year-old man required prolonged intravenous drug therapy for post-myocardial infarction arrhythmias and developed infection with Staphylococcus aureus at the site of his indwelling cannula. He received prompt antibiotic therapy but was readmitted to hospital five weeks later with a terminal illness which proved at post-mortem to be a staphylococcal pleuropericarditis. We consider that this fatal infection originated at his venous cannula site. The problems of diagnosis are discussed.
D000368:Aged; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000209:etiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000209:etiology*