Lesson of the week: Perils of pessaries

Abstract

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. © British Geriatrics Society 2004; all rights reserved.