[Late post-pneumonectomy hematogenous pyothorax. Apropos of 3 cases]

The authors describe three cases of patients who had previously undergone a pneumonectomy (two for cancer, one for bronchiectasis) with a favourable postoperative course, who subsequently developed pyothorax in the thoracic cavity. The bacteria isolated where in the first patient, Pasteurella Multocida; in the second, Campylobacter foetus foetus; in the third, a variety of anaerobic organisms. The characteristic of the organisms allow us to exclude the possibility that these cases of pyothorax were due to a contamination during the operation, in favour of transient bacteraemia with contamination of the fluid of the thoracic cavity. In a patient who has undergone pneumonectomy (as in patients with a joint or valve prosthesis) it is important to avoid (or to treat early) any infections which could give rise to bacteraemia, especially dental infections.