Drowning with acute respiratory failure

Alessio Trombetta, Andrea Zappalà, Ilaria Di Cataldo, Rosalba Relo, Federica Lo Bello, Alfio Proietto, Gaetano Caramori

Abstract


We present the case of a 74-year-old male that was admitted to our Unit of Pulmonology for chlorinated freshwater drowning syndrome with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. Despite an initial clinical response, with improvement of the respiratory failure and decreased number of the multifocal pulmonary opacities on chest CT, after about ten days from the admission, the patient developed intermittent fever (up to 39.3°C), re-worsening of the respiratory failure and pneumatocele. Blood cultures showed the presence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus (MRSA) sepsis. Despite many courses of different antibiotics, the patient died. MRSA is a rare cause of pneumonia after drowning with a high lethality rate.

Keywords


drowning, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), methicillin-resistant staphylococcal aureus (MRSA) sepsis

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.13129/1828-6550/APMB.110.1.2022.CCS2

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Copyright (c) 2022 Alessio Trombetta, Andrea Zappalà, Ilaria Di Cataldo, Rosalba Relo, Federica Lo Bello, Alfio Proietto, Alfio Proietto, Gaetano Caramori

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