A case of severe bilateral empyema due to Streptococcus pyogenes
Tomoki Nishida,
Takahisa Ohnishi,
Takuya Kakutani,
Nobuo Yamaguchi,
Takayuki Kanemaru,
Tomohiro Takenoue,
Ryuta Fukai,
Kazuto Inoue
Affiliations
Tomoki Nishida
Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, 1370-1 Okamoto, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; Correspondence to: 1370-1 Okamoto, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Takahisa Ohnishi
Department of General Surgery, Yamato Tokushukai Hospital, 4-4-12 Chuo, Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Takuya Kakutani
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, 1370-1 Okamoto, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Nobuo Yamaguchi
Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, 1370-1 Okamoto, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Takayuki Kanemaru
Department of General Surgery, Yamato Tokushukai Hospital, 4-4-12 Chuo, Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Tomohiro Takenoue
Department of General Surgery, Yamato Tokushukai Hospital, 4-4-12 Chuo, Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Ryuta Fukai
Department of General Thoracic Surgery, Shonan Kamakura General Hospital, 1370-1 Okamoto, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Kazuto Inoue
Department of General Surgery, Yamato Tokushukai Hospital, 4-4-12 Chuo, Yamato, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Bilateral empyema is a rare and severe condition and deciding on a treatment is quite difficult. Additionally, infections caused by group A Streptococcus (GAS [Streptococcus pyogenes]) are known to be invasive. We successfully treated without surgery a previously healthy 59-year-old woman with bilateral empyema due to GAS, with repeated drainages, antibiotics, and fibrinolytic therapy. To our knowledge, there have not been any published reports on cases of bilateral empyema due to GAS infection. In rare, severe cases of bilateral empyema caused by organisms such as GAS, physicians managing the condition should consider the overall condition of the patient.
