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Mediastinal Abscess Caused by an Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Membrane

Kanji Matsuzaki1, Toru Tsukada2, Masataka Sato2

  • 1Hitachi Social Cooperation Education Research Center, University of Tsukuba Hospital, Hitachi, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Hitachi General Hospital, Hitachi, Japan.

The Annals of Thoracic Surgery
|June 22, 2017
PubMed

Insights

A rare sterile mediastinal abscess caused by an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane was found 13 years after cardiac surgery. Complete removal of the ePTFE membrane was crucial for patient recovery.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Infectious Disease
  • Medical Device Complications

Background:

  • A 76-year-old male patient presented with persistent fever 13 years post-tricuspid annuloplasty.
  • Initial treatment for presumed pneumonia with antibiotics was ineffective.

Observation:

  • Computed tomography and gallium scintigraphy identified a mediastinal abscess.
  • The abscess was associated with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membrane.

Findings:

  • No positive cultures or sternal changes suggested typical poststernotomy mediastinitis.
  • A sterile abscess linked to the ePTFE membrane was diagnosed.

Implications:

  • This case highlights a unique complication of cardiac surgery involving ePTFE membranes.
  • Surgical removal of the ePTFE membrane, without resternotomy, proved essential for resolution.
  • It is the first reported instance of a sterile mediastinal abscess caused by an ePTFE membrane post-cardiac operation.

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