Multiple Spinal Epidural Abscesses with Concomitant Multifocal Systemic Abscesses and Multi-joint Septic Arthritis:,...

Multiple spinal epidual abscesses with multifocal systemic abscess and multiple joint septic arthritis present with a large infective burden resulting in sepsis, systemic inflammatory dysregulation, and multi-organ failure. This requires pre-operative resuscitation and surgery of greater complexity, longer operative duration, and blood loss, creating challenges to surgical management.

A 69-year-old Chinese female presented with multilevel discrete spinal epidural abscesses along the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine, alongside concomitant multifocal systemic abscesses and multiple small joint septic arthritis. She received pre-operative resuscitation to restore organ function, reverse acidosis, and coagulopathy, prior tobefore surgical decompression of selected abscesses and joints under a multidisciplinary team. Remaining sites of infection without significant compression were undrained. The patient recovered well with no residual neurological deficits.

Multifocal infections in critically ill patients require a multidisciplinary team for preoperative resuscitation, joint surgical planning, and prioritiszing surgical interventions to prevent excessive surgical stress to the patient.