Abstract
BackgroundAcute purulent bacterial pericarditis is of rare occurrence in this modern antibiotic era. Primary involvement of the pericardium without evidence of underlying infection elsewhere is even rarer. It is a rapidly progressive infection with high mortality. We present an extremely rare case of acute purulent bacterial pericarditis in an immunocompetent adult patient with no underlying chronic medical conditions.Case presentationA 33-year-old previously healthy white man presented with the complaints of chest pain and dyspnea. He was diagnosed as having acute pericarditis and was discharged home on indomethacin. Over a period of 2 weeks, his symptoms worsened gradually and he was readmitted to our hospital. He was found to have large pericardial effusion with cardiac tamponade. An urgent pericardiocentesis was done with drainage of 550 ml of purulent material. Cultures grew Streptococcus intermedius confirming the diagnosis of acute purulent bacterial pericarditis. No other focus of infection was identified on imaging workup suggesting primary infection of the pericardium. His clinical course was complicated by development of constrictive pericarditis for which he underwent surgical pericardiectomy. He received a total of 7 weeks of intravenously administered antibiotics with complete clinical recovery.ConclusionsAcute purulent bacterial pericarditis, although rare, should always be kept in mind as a possible cause of pericarditis. Early recognition and prompt intervention are important for a successful outcome.
Highlights
Acute purulent bacterial pericarditis is of rare occurrence in this modern antibiotic era
Bacterial pericarditis is a rapidly progressive infection with high mortality. It is rare in the modern antibiotic era and the majority of cases occur in immunocompromised individuals or in individuals with underlying disease of the pericardium [1, 2]
We report a case of primary purulent acute bacterial pericarditis in an immunocompetent previously healthy adult patient caused by S. intermedius
Summary
Rare, should always be kept in mind as a possible cause of pericarditis. As this disease has a rapidly progressive fulminant course, early recognition and prompt intervention are critical for a successful outcome
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