Post-functional endoscopic sinus surgery methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus sinusitis

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a highly virulent bacterium that is difficult to eradicate. It has become a common nosocomial pathogen, but it also causes sporadic infections in some outpatients. Among 358 chronic sinusitis patients who received functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) for treatment between July 1995 and June 1997 in our department, 18 were infected postoperatively by MRSA by the end of August 1997. One patient was excluded because she received another nasal surgery, partial turbinectomy, and submucous resection of the nasal septum, after FESS. Most of 17 MRSA infected patients presented themselves with mucopurulent nasal discharge and/or nasal crust. The treatment was generally difficult because MRSAs were resistant to multiple antibiotics. When quinolone antibiotics were used to treat most patients, the improvement rate was 76.5%. We conclude that MRSA infections in post-FESS patients might affect the outcome of FESS.