Community-Acquired, Bacteraemic Acinetobacter Baumannii Pneumonia: A Retrospective Review of Cases in Tropical Queensland, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired Acinetobacter pneumonia (CAAP) typically presents with rapid progression to fulminant disease and is complicated by high mortality. Australian epidemiological studies are few. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on bacteraemic cases of CAAP over twenty years (2000-2019) in North Queensland. Cases were selected on microbiologic, clinical, and radiographic parameters. Data on patient demographics were obtained, along with microbial, antibiotic, mortality and climatic data. RESULTS: 28 cases of CAAP were included. Nineteen (67.9%) were male, twenty-three (82.1%) were Indigenous Australians, and the mean age was 45.9 years. Most presentations were of moderate to severe pneumonia (25/28 (89.3%)). Furthermore, 90% of cases had two or more risk factors. The strongest risk factors for CAAP were alcohol excess and tobacco use. No statistically significant difference in presenting severity, ICU admission or mortality was seen between dry- and wet-season disease. Dry-season disease accounted for 35.7% of cases. Overall mortality was 28.6%. Early use of meropenem or gentamicin reduced mortality irrespective of presenting severity (mortality 17.6%) Non-targeted antibiotic therapy was associated with a non-significant difference in mortality of 44.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Early administration of targeted antibiotics can mitigate a high mortality rate. The choice of antibiotic therapy for community-acquired pneumonia should be based on severity, risk factors and clinical suspicion of CAAP rather than seasonality.

A case of platypnoea orthodeoxia following Laproscopic Cholecystectomy.

Platypnoea Orthodeoxia syndrome is defined by dyspnoea and hypoxaemia exacerbated by orthostatic positioning and alleviated in recumbency. This condition has been reported in association with pulmonary, hepatic and cardiac disease. We describe a case herein of a 79 year old female who developed severe hypoxaemia and dyspnoea post laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A difference in arterial blood gas oxygen tension was demonstrated in the supine and erect positions on arterial blood gas analysis. A Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) with a right to left shunt was evident on echocardiogram employing colour doppler and agitated normal saline studies. Definitive management, with closure of the patent foramen ovale lead to a complete resolution of symptoms and normalisation of arterial blood gas parameters in both the supine and erect positions.