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Purulent Pericarditis and Mycotic Pseudoaneurysm of the Ascending Aorta: A Case Report
Oswaldo Subillaga1, Mohamed S Omer2, Neel R Sodha1
1Department of Surgery, The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, USA.
Abstract:
Concomitant presentation of purulent pericarditis and mycotic pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta is exceedingly uncommon. We present a case of a 63-year-old male who presented to the emergency department after one week of severe neck pain along with pleuritic chest pain. He was found to have purulent pericarditis associated with a 0.9cm pseudoaneurysm of the ascending aorta. He underwent surgical repair with a bovine pericardial patch as well as mediastinal debridement, which revealed a larger area of necrosis than anticipated based on imaging. Microbiological investigation revealed the presence of Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) in both tissues from the aortic pseudoaneurysm and the pericardial rind.
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