Does targeted antibiotic treatment improve purulent pericarditis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an immunocompetent child without the need for pericardiocentesis?
Targeted antibiotic therapy can successfully treat purulent pericarditis caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in an immunocompetent child without requiring pericardiocentesis.
This case describes a 13-year-old female immunocompetent child who presented with a high-grade fever, with no evident foci of infection, and was not responding to antipyretics. Chest x-ray and echocardiography showed a moderate amount of pericardial and pleural effusion with rising inflammatory markers. Initially treated for acute viral pericarditis, the patient's condition worsened, and a CT scan revealed purulent pericardial effusion and phlegmon. A targeted antibiotic treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa led to significant improvement within 3 weeks, avoiding the need for a pericardiocentesis procedure. To our knowledge this incident is the first documented case within this age group.
Alawfi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.