Absceso epidural espinal: caso clínico pediátrico / Pediatric case report: Spinal epidural abscess

El absceso epidural espinal, una patología poco frecuente, presenta una incidencia de un caso cada 100 000 individuos, y se observa un aumento debido al incremento de factores de riesgo, tales como diabetes mellitus, anomalías espinales, tatuajes, acupuntura, analgesia epidural, sumado a una mayor disponibilidad de métodos de imágenes. Es una colección purulenta localizada entre la duramadre y el canal medular. Los gérmenes más comunes son Staphylococcus aureus y bacterias Gram-negativas. Sin tratamiento oportuno, evoluciona a la compresión medular y secuelas neurológicas permanentes. Una niña de 11 años se presentó con fiebre de 48 horas de evolución, dolor lumbar izquierdo, marcha antálgica con envaramiento lumbar. El examen neurológico era normal. Sobre los miembros inferiores, se observaban lesiones ampollares destechadas. La resonancia nuclear magnética mostró una imagen compatible con absceso epidural espinal. Evolucionó favorablemente. El tratamiento consistió en drenaje quirúrgico y antibióticos por 6 semanas. Del cultivo del material obtenido, creció Staphylococcus aureus meticilino sensible.

Spinal epidural abscess is an uncommon pathology. It has an incidence of one case per 100 000 individuals. An increase is observed due to the raise of risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, spinal abnormalities, tattoos, acupuncture, epidural analgesia, and a greater availability of imaging methods. It is a purulent collection located between the dura and the medullary canal. The most common germs are Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria. Without timely treatment, it evolves to medullary compression and permanent neurological sequelae. An 11-year-old girl was admitted with fever of 48 hs evolution, left lower back pain, antalgic gait with lumbar stiffness. Neurological examination was normal. Blunt blistering lesions were observed on lower limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an image compatible with spinal epidural abscess. The evolutionwas favorable. Treatment consisted of surgical drainage and antibiotics for 6 weeks. From the culture of the material obtained, methidllin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was isolated.

[Pediatric case report: Spinal epidural abscess]. / Absceso epidural espinal: caso clínico pediátrico.

Spinal epidural abscess is an uncommon pathology. It has an incidence of one case per 100 000 individuals. An increase is observed due to the raise of risk factors such as diabetes mellitus, spinal abnormalities, tattoos, acupuncture, epidural analgesia, and a greater availability of imaging methods. It is a purulent collection located between the dura and the medullary canal. The most common germs are Staphylococcus aureus and Gram-negative bacteria. Without timely treatment, it evolves to medullary compression and permanent neurological sequelae. An 11-year-old girl was admitted with fever of 48 hs evolution, left lower back pain, antalgic gait with lumbar stiffness. Neurological examination was normal. Blunt blistering lesions were observed on lower limbs. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an image compatible with spinal epidural abscess. The evolutionwas favorable. Treatment consisted of surgical drainage and antibiotics for 6 weeks. From the culture of the material obtained, methidllin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was isolated.

El absceso epidural espinal, una patología poco frecuente, presenta una incidencia de un caso cada 100 000 individuos, y se observa un aumento debido al incremento de factores de riesgo, tales como diabetes mellitus, anomalías espinales, tatuajes, acupuntura, analgesia epidural, sumado a una mayor disponibilidad de métodos de imágenes. Es una colección purulenta localizada entre la duramadre y el canal medular. Los gérmenes más comunes son Staphylococcus aureus y bacterias Gram-negativas. Sin tratamiento oportuno, evoluciona a la compresión medular y secuelas neurológicas permanentes. Una niña de 11 años se presentó con fiebre de 48 horas de evolución, dolor lumbar izquierdo, marcha antálgica con envaramiento lumbar. El examen neurológico era normal. Sobre los miembros inferiores, se observaban lesiones ampollares destechadas. La resonancia nuclear magnética mostró una imagen compatible con absceso epidural espinal. Evolucionó favorablemente. El tratamiento consistió en drenaje quirúrgico y antibióticos por 6 semanas. Del cultivo del material obtenido, creció Staphylococcus aureus meticilino sensible.

Accuracy of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide to guide site of care of community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: The use at bedside of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) or mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) has been advocated to help management of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in emergency medicine. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of CRP, PCT, and ANP measures in assisting emergency physicians deciding hospital admission for CAP with low risk of complication. DESIGN: Multicenter, prospective, observational study with blind evaluation. SETTING: Emergency departments of 12 French hospitals. PATIENTS: Five hundred forty-nine consecutive, immunocompetent adult patients with mild CAP. MEASUREMENTS: Centralized and blind measure of baseline CRP, PCT, and ANP; sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios for determining hospital admission. Gold standard for admission was defined by experts' advice combined with admission requirement or death at 28 days. Optimal threshold values were determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and area under curve (AUC) of the three biomarkers was compared. RESULTS: According to gold standard, 310 (56%) patients required admission and 239 (44%) needed to be discharged. PCT and ANP levels increased with Pneumonia Severity Index risk categories. ANP (AUC 0.76 [95% CI 0.72-0.80]) more accurately predicted admission requirement than did PCT (AUC 0.65 [95% CI 0.61-0.70]) or CRP (AUC 0.59 [95% CI 0.54-0.64]) (both p values <0.01). We determined that 135 pmol/L was a threshold for ANP level to discriminate admission requirement (positive likelihood ratio 7.45 [95% CI 4.22-8.16]). CONCLUSIONS: In a selected population of CAP with low risk of complication, a single ANP measurement was more accurate than CRP and PCT to predict appropriate admission. These results should be confirmed by additional studies.