Tension pneumothorax following serotype-3 pneumococcal necrotizing pneumonia

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Conradi, Álvaro Díaz | Ferran, Ramon Clapés | Iranzo, Anna Sangorrin | Torell, Adriana Cordon | Navarro, Josep Marco | Muñoz-Almagro, Carmen

Affiliations: Clinics of Pediatrics, Hospital Fundació Barcelona Nens, Barcelona, Spain | Clinics of Radiology, Hospital Fundació Barcelona Nens, Barcelona, Spain | Department of Pediatric Surgery, Hospital Fundació Barcelona Nens, Barcelona, Spain | Molecular Microbiology Laboratory, Hospital Sant Joan de Deu de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. Álvaro Díaz Conradi, Carrer Consell de Cent 437, 08009 Barcelona, Spain. Tel.: +34 932310512 ; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: Pneumococcal necrotizing pneumonia can lead to severe barotrauma resulting from air passage through a bronchopleural fistula. Here we present a case of a 15-month old infant who presented with a life-threatening tension pneumothorax that developed ten days after discharge from hospital after 14 days treatment with intravenous cefotaxime for pneumococcal empyema. The patient recovered full after urgent surgical decompression, and the fistula closed without further surgical intervention.

Keywords: Necrotizing pneumonia, pneumothorax, Streptococcus pneumoniae

DOI: 10.3233/JPI-140411

Journal: Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 23-25, 2014