Cataract surgery during active methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection

Abstract

Ahmad M Mansour,1,2 Haytham I Salti11Department of Ophthalmology, American University of Beirut, 2Rafic Hariri University Hospital, Beirut, LebanonAbstract: We present two patients with active, foul-smelling, methicillin-resistant ­Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) wounds of the forehead and sternum following craniotomy or open heart surgery. Both had debilitating cataracts and were told by the infectious diseases team that cataract surgery is very risky. Both underwent sequential bilateral phacoemulsification with no sign of infection. Patients with active MRSA wound infections may safely undergo cataract surgery with additional precautions observed intraoperatively (good wound construction) and postoperatively (topical antibiotics and close observation). Banning such surgeries can unnecessarily jeopardize the lifestyles of such patients.Keywords: cataract, infection, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, phacoe­mulsification