Staphylococcus epidermis Mediastinitis and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
Authors: CAROL A. KAUFFMAN
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1984)

Brief Reports1 July 1984Staphylococcus epidermis Mediastinitis and Disseminated Intravascular CoagulationCAROL A. KAUFFMAN, M.D., JOHN N. SHEAGREN, M.D., PAUL G. QUIE, M.D.CAROL A. KAUFFMAN, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOHN N. SHEAGREN, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, PAUL G. QUIE, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-101-1-60 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptMediastinitis is one of the most serious complications of median sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Early diagnosis allowing aggressive surgical debridement and appropriate antibiotic therapy is crucial to the patient's recovery (1, 2). Staphylococcus epidermidis has been isolated commonly from mediastinal tissues, but usually is found along with other organisms and is not believed to be pathogenic (1). We report that S. epidermidis alone may cause severe mediastinitis and show that this organism is able to cause fatal disseminated intravascular coagulation and the Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome.A 48-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and a previous myocardial infarction had a coronary artery saphenous...References1. THURER R, BOGNOLO D, VARGAS A, ISCH J, and KAISER G. The management of mediastinal infection following cardiac surgery. J Thome Cardiovasc Surg. 1974;68:962-8. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. SERRY C, BLECK P, and JAVID H. Sternal wound complications: management and results. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1980;80:861-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. TUAZON C, SHEAGREN J, and QUIE P. Variability in the degree of opsonization and phagocytosis of strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation. J Lab Clin Med. 1981;98:949-55. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. FORSGREN A and QUIE P. Influence of the alternative complement pathway on opsonization of several bacterial species. Infect Immun. 1974;10:402-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. YOSHIKAWA T, TANAKA K, and GUZE L. Infection and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Medicine. 1971;50:237-58. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. MURRAY H, TUAZON C, and SHEAGREN J. Staphylococcal septicemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation: Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis mimicking meningococcemia. Arch Intern Med. 1977;137:844-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. WILKINSON B, KIM Y, and PETERSON P. Factors affecting complement activation by Staphylococcus aureus cell walls, their components, and mutants altered in teichoic acid. Infect Immun. 1981;32:216-24. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. SPIKA J, PETERSON P, and WILKINSON B. Role of peptidoglycan from Staphylococcus aureus in leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and complement activation associated with bacteremia. J Infect Dis. 1982;146:227-34. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. ULEVITCH R, COCHRANE C, HENSON P, MORRISON D, and DOE W. Mediation systems in bacterial lipopolysaccharide-induced hypotension and disseminated intravascular coagulation: I. The role of complement. J Exp Med. 1975;142:1570-90. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. O'CONNOR D, WEISMAN M, and FIERER J. Activation of the alternate complement pathway in Staph, aureus infective endocarditis and its relationship to thrombocytopenia, coagulation abnormalities, and acute glomerulonephritis. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978;34:179-87. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: CAROL A. KAUFFMAN, M.D.; JOHN N. SHEAGREN, M.D.; PAUL G. QUIE, M.D.Affiliations: Veterans Administration Medical Center University of Michigan Medical School Ann Arbor, Michigan University of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis, Minnesota PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byClosed Blunt Chest Trauma Causing Mediastinal AbscessPathogenic Studies on Five Species of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci: A Mouse Model with a Foreign Body ImplantSYMMETRICAL PERIPHERAL GANGRENECoagulase-Negative Staphylococcal Bacteremia Mortality and Hospital StayMichael A. Martin, MD, Michael A. Pfaller, MD, Richard P. Wenzel, MD, MScAcute Purulent Mediastinitis and Sternal Osteomyelitis after Closed Chest Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Case Report and Review of the LiteratureLaboratory, clinical, and epidemiological aspects of coagulase-negative staphylococciHematologic Manifestations of Bacterial and Fungal InfectionsStaphylococcus epidermidis: A significant nosocomial pathogenCoagulase-negative staphylococci in wounds: Pathogens or contaminants?Correction: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Correct Spelling 1 July 1984Volume 101, Issue 1Page: 60-61KeywordsCardiac surgeryCoronary arteriesDiabetes mellitusDisseminated intravascular coagulationMedical servicesMyocardial infarctionPathogensStaphylococcusStaphylococcus epidermidisSternotomy ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 1984 PDF downloadLoading ...