Perioperative care of a patient with immune thrombocytopenia purpura undergoing tubo‐ovarian abscess incision and drainage: Case report
Authors: Zeng Liqiong , Tian Libi 
Published: November 2024

Key Clinical Massage

Tubo‐ovarian abscess (TOA) is a serious health hazard for women, causing severe sepsis. Antimicrobial treatment is effective, but one‐third of patients experience unfavorable outcomes. ITP, an autoimmune condition, can lead to bruising and bleeding. Diagnosing TOA in women of childbearing age is crucial, and combining emergency surgery with ITP patients can increase treatment costs and reduce quality of life. ITP can lead to severe complications, including postoperative hemorrhage, and may require platelet transfusions, glucocorticosteroids, and immunoglobulin. These treatments increase costs, decrease quality of life, and impact prognosis. Preventing ITP is crucial. Patients should be administered blood products based on platelet count and anemia or spontaneous bleeding tendencies. Perioperative blood management should aim for a target platelet level of 30 × 109/L and a hemoglobin concentration of 80 g/L before surgery. Post‐surgery, perioperative care is crucial and vigilant for secondary bleeding.

A tubo‐ovarian abscess (TOA) is a frequently encountered inflammatory mass in therapeutic settings. TOA is a serious consequence of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) that can lead to severe sepsis. In recent years, the incidence of TOA has increased, presenting a significant health hazard for women. To effectively target the diverse range of bacteria responsible for TOA, it is essential to use antimicrobial medicines that have a wide spectrum of activity. Nevertheless, the efficacy of antibiotic treatment stands at approximately 70%, while a significant proportion of patients, around one‐third, experience unfavorable clinical outcomes necessitating drainage or surgical intervention. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune condition characterized by a marked decrease in the quantity of platelets present in the bloodstream. ITP is characterized by thrombocytopenia, which leads to a heightened susceptibility to bruising and bleeding. The diagnosis of ITP and the prediction of treatment response continue to pose important and persistent issues in the field of hematology. The platelet count is commonly employed as a surrogate indicator of disease severity in patients with ITP and thus plays a crucial role in determining the necessity of treatment. A 25‐year‐old woman with a history of sexual activity underwent open abdominal exploration due to the sudden onset of lower abdominal pain. During the operation, a left TOA was discovered, and an incision and drainage were performed. Symptomatic treatments, such as anti‐infectives and abdominal drainage, were administered. The culture of pus in the abdominal cavity suggested the presence of Escherichia coli. However, the patient presented with ITP and had a platelet count of less than 50 × 109/L before the operation. After the operation, the patient developed incisional and pelvic hematomas with signs of infection. As a result, the patient was discharged from the hospital after undergoing another laparotomy and receiving platelet transfusions and immunotherapy. Clinicians should be vigilant when diagnosing TOA in women of childbearing age, even in the absence of high‐risk factors. A timely antibiotic or surgical intervention is necessary to preserve fertility and ensure quality of life. Combining emergency surgery with ITP patients poses a significant challenge for clinicians in terms of treatment. ITP can lead to serious complications, such as postoperative bleeding, which may require platelet transfusions, glucocorticoids, and immunoglobulin. This can increase the cost of treatment, reduce the quality of life, and seriously affect the prognosis. Therefore, preventing ITP is crucial. It is important to pay attention to the perioperative care of patients after surgery and be alert to the possibility of secondary hemorrhage.