Lesson of the week: perils of pessaries.
Vaginal pessaries are widely considered to be a safe alternative to surgery in older women. We report a case of near fatal septicaemia in a 75-year-old woman associated with a shelf pessary, the presence of which was identified during an exploratory laparotomy. This case highlights the importance of the gynaecological history and examination when assessing older women with septicaemia of unknown source.
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Llandough Hospital, Penarth CF64 2XX, UK.
Luke D
LD
Wheeler
Rajeka
R
Lazarus
Jared
J
Torkington
M Sinead
MS
O'Mahony
Kenneth W
KW
Woodhouse
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010570:Pessaries / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011512:Proteus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D011513:Proteus mirabilis; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014550:Urinary Incontinence, Stress / Q000628:therapy; D014596:Uterine Prolapse / Q000628:therapy