الأبحاث والمنشورات
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Empyema necessitans in a pediatric patient
2023
International Journal of Surgery Case Reports
Yusuf Shieba
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Alaa Ramadan
Abstract
Empyema necessitans is an uncommon and serious complication of pleural infection, in which pus tracks out of the pleural cavity through the chest wall and collects under the skin. It is rare in children, which is exactly why it is missed.
We report a one-year-old boy who presented with the condition, with Escherichia coli identified as the causative organism — an unusual pathogen in this setting. Treatment combined targeted antibiotics with drainage of the pleural collection, and the outcome was successful.
The clinical lesson is a simple one worth remembering: in a young child with an enlarging chest wall swelling, empyema necessitans belongs in the differential diagnosis. Early recognition and drainage, with paediatricians, thoracic surgeons, infectious disease specialists and interventional radiologists working together, is what determines the outcome.
We report a one-year-old boy who presented with the condition, with Escherichia coli identified as the causative organism — an unusual pathogen in this setting. Treatment combined targeted antibiotics with drainage of the pleural collection, and the outcome was successful.
The clinical lesson is a simple one worth remembering: in a young child with an enlarging chest wall swelling, empyema necessitans belongs in the differential diagnosis. Early recognition and drainage, with paediatricians, thoracic surgeons, infectious disease specialists and interventional radiologists working together, is what determines the outcome.
