Intramuscular Injection Abscess Due to VRSA: A New Health Care Challenge

Senthil Nathan Sambandam1, Ganeshkumar Jayasree Rohinikumar1, Arif Gul1

  • 1Department of Orthopaedics, K.G. Hospital and Postgraduate Medical Institute, Arts College Road, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abscess formation following intramuscular injections is rare and they are most commonly seen in immunocompromised individuals. In this case series we present a cohort of three patients presented to us in a critically ill condition with an abscess due to intramuscular injection. Vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus was isolated from all three patients. These patients posed a major challenge to the healthcare system and the treating physician because of the: severity of illness, virulence and resistance of the organism, rarity of the situation, immune state of the patient, and lack of supporting evidence to properly guide management in the use of health resources. To the best of our knowledge, there is no report available in the English literature on vancomycin resistant staphylococcus aureus associated with intramuscular injection abscess.