Disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following spinal anesthesia: a case report
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Zhongheng Zhang1, Xiao Xu1, Hongying Ni1
1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Jinhua Municipal Central Hospital, Jinhua Hospital of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, P.R. China.
Abstract:
We here presented a 65-year-old woman with disseminated Staphylococcus aureus infection following spinal anesthesia. The patient underwent spinal anesthesia for great saphenous vein stripping. Twenty days after the procedure, the patient developed hydrocephalus, pulmonary infection, and epidural abscess. Microbiological culture of the pus showed infection by S aureus. Appropriate antibiotic therapy and prompt surgical abscess drainage were associated with good outcome. Hydrocephalus is thought to be associated with arachnoiditis caused by S aureus infection, which provides new insights into the pathophysiology of arachnoiditis. Here we reported a case of disseminated S aureus infection following spinal anesthesia, implicating that appropriate interventions should not be delayed for waiting for the microbiological results.
Related Concept Videos
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Spinal Anesthesia
Local Anesthetics: Clinical Application as Epidural Anesthesia
Since epidural anesthetics can be infused through an epidural catheter, all types of drugs, including short-acting ones, can be administered. Chloroprocaine and lidocaine are examples of short and long-duration anesthetics, respectively. Bupivacaine...
Staphylococcal Skin Infections
Brain Abscess l: Introduction

