Bilateral empyema secondary to Hemophilus influenzae epiglottitis

Aleksandr Kalininskiy; Justin M Weis

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101461

Bilateral empyema secondary to Hemophilus influenzae epiglottitis

Respir Med Case Rep. 2021 Jun 27:33:101461. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2021.101461. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Aleksandr Kalininskiy¹, Justin M Weis¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care, University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 692, Rochester, NY 14642-8692, USA.

Abstract

An empyema is a collection of pus in the pleural space, often due to aerobic bacteria, that requires drainage typically done with a small bore chest tube and fibrinolytics. The large majority of empyemas are unilateral. Bilateral empyemas are rare, usually non-infectious and typically require surgical management. We report a case of Hemophilus influenzae epiglottitis complicated by bilateral culture proven empyema successfully managed without surgery. The aim of this report is to present a rare complication of epiglottitis and discuss the theoretical issues with management of multiple infected pleural spaces requiring fibrinolytics.

Keywords: Bilateral empyema; Empyema; Epiglottitis; Fibrinolysis; Hemophilus influenzae; Pleural effusion.

Publication types

Case Reports