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Severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation with concomitant ischemic stroke

Alejandro V Garcia1, Abbey L Fingeret, Arul S Thirumoorthi

  • 1Division of Pediatric Surgery, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York 10032, USA. alg2025@columbia.edu

Pediatric Pulmonology
|April 3, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Mycoplasma pneumoniae can cause severe respiratory illness and central nervous system complications like stroke in children. This case highlights a rare instance of severe respiratory failure and ischemic stroke in a pediatric patient due to this infection.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Neurology
  • Respiratory medicine

Background:

  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of pediatric respiratory infections.
  • Extrapulmonary manifestations, including central nervous system (CNS) involvement, can occur.
  • Stroke is a rare but severe neurological complication associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Observation:

  • A 13-year-old female presented with severe respiratory disease.
  • The patient required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for respiratory support.
  • Clinical and serologic findings confirmed Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.

Findings:

  • The patient developed an ischemic stroke.
  • This represents a previously unreported case of Mycoplasma pneumoniae causing both severe respiratory failure and stroke.
  • The co-occurrence of severe respiratory compromise and ischemic stroke in this context is highly unusual.

Implications:

  • Early identification of severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections is crucial.
  • Prompt diagnosis may facilitate earlier treatment interventions.
  • Concomitant evaluation for neurological injury, such as stroke, should be considered in severe cases.

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