EMERGENCY CASEBOOK
Case of the month: "Bugs are eating my soul" – sternal abscess, osteomyelitis, and mediastinitis complicating a closed sternal fracture
Royal Free Hospital, London, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Paul Randell
Flat 86, White House, Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LH, UK; paulrandell{at}gmail.com
Wound complications of closed sternal fracture are rare, but may have serious consequences if not effectively managed. We report a case of a patient who presented to the emergency department with a sternal abscess, osteomyelitis, and mediastinitis complicating a closed sternal fracture. It is hypothesised that in our patient bacteraemia post intravenous drug use resulted in seeding of the haematoma with Staphylococcus aureus. Early diagnosis and a multidisciplinary team effort were important in ensuring a favourable outcome.
Keywords: abscess; fracture, closed; mediastinitis; osteomyelitis; sternum
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This article has been cited by other articles:
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