title: Successful treatment of a previously healthy woman with Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia with plasmapheresis.
abstract: A previously healthy 39-year-old woman with severe chest pain presented at our hospital. She was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia by chest X-ray and computed tomography. Despite adequate antimicrobial treatment, she had to undergo intubation for respiratory distress and was treated with mechanical ventilation 42 hours after admission. However, her condition improved markedly after plasmapheresis. Bacterial culture specimens from the sputum, blood, and pleural fluid were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in previously healthy individuals is very rare, rapidly progressive, and often fatal. This is the first report of the successful treatment of this life-threatening pneumonia with plasmapheresis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Saiseikai Kyoto Hospital, Japan. byhbd032@ybb.ne.jp
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yamaoka
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chikayama
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohishi
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010956:Plasmapheresis; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents