Failure to obtain microbiological culture and its consequence in a mesh-related infection.

Abstract

This report describes a case of a delayed diagnosis of a late-onset mesh infection due to an unexpected enteric pathogen, Enterobacter cloacae. A 62-year-old woman with a history of prior incisional hernia repair with a prosthetic mesh presented to the emergency room with signs of an abscess with surrounding cellulitis of her abdomen over a year after her hernia repair. The patient manifested minimal response to 1 month of oral antibiotics. She underwent a complicated yet successful treatment course including surgical mesh removal (with a peri-operative complication), implantation of a biological mesh for the ventral hernia defect and ultimately, antibiotics tailored to the offending pathogen identified by postoperative culture of the infected mesh.

• Authors: Juliette M Slomka, Scott Laker, Pranatharthi Chandrasekar, Douglas E Paull
• Journal: BMJ case reports (BMJ Case Rep) Vol. 2013 (Aug 13 2013) ISSN: 1757-790X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 23946510 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Topics

• Enterobacter cloacae (isolation & purification)
• Enterobacteriaceae Infections (diagnosis, microbiology)
• False Negative Reactions
• Female
• Humans
• Middle Aged
• Prosthesis-Related Infections (etiology, microbiology)
• Surgical Mesh (adverse effects)