Purulent pneumococcal pericarditis, a vaccine-preventable illness

1Citations
Citations of this article
8Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

A 74-year-old gentleman presented to hospital with a 1-day history of acute onset pleuritic chest pain and fever. He was found to have widespread ST segment elevation on electrocardiogram, and blood cultures taken were positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae. Two days following admission the patient developed dyspnea, and a large pericardial effusion and right middle lobe consolidation were demonstrated on a computed tomography scan of the chest. A transthoracic echocardiogram confirmed the presence of a large circumferential pericardial effusion with multiple prominent adhesions and marked heterogenous thickening of the pericardium, without evidence of tamponade. Pericardiocentesis drained a purulent exudate positive for pneumococcal antigen. The occurrence of purulent pericarditis secondary to pneumococcal community-Acquired pneumonia is rare in the modern antibiotic era and represents an often-lethal manifestation of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). IPD is a vaccine-preventable illness for which adult vaccination rates are low despite high morbidity. Healthcare professionals need to vaccinate older patients opportunistically.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Rees, M. J., & Wilson, A. (2019). Purulent pneumococcal pericarditis, a vaccine-preventable illness. Oxford Medical Case Reports, 2019(8), 363–366. https://doi.org/10.1093/omcr/omz078

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free