Fungal Cervical Abscess Complicated by Necrotizing Fasciitis Leading to Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis: A Case Report

Surgical therapy and outcome of descending necrotizing mediastinitis in Chinese: a single-center series

Background

Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis (DNM) is an acute and often fatal infection that affects the neck and mediastinum. DNM treatment consists of broad-spectrum antibiotics, early diagnosis, and surgical debridement with multidisciplinary cooperation. However, owing to the rarity and complexity of this disease, the mortality rate is high. This retrospective study analyzed a single-center experience of managing DNM in Chinese patients over the last 10 years.

Methods

A single-center, retrospective, observational, and descriptive study was conducted on 31 patients with DNM at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2012 to 2022. Case report forms were used to collect data which were then analyzed with a focus on surgical management and outcomes.

Results

This study examined the outcomes of 31 patients diagnosed with DNM at our hospital. The most common comorbidities on admission were hypertension (48%) and diabetes mellitus (42%). The degree of diffusion of DNM according to Endo's classification was classified as follows: type I in 7 patients (22.6%), type IIA in 5 (16.1%), and type IIB in 19 patients (61.3%). Among these patients, 13 (41.9%) were found to have a single microbial infection, while 16 (51.6%) were found to have polymicrobial infections. In all cases, neck drainage was performed via cervicotomy, with multiple drains (64.5%) and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) (35.5%). Mediastinal drainage was performed via a cervical mediastinotomy (51.6%), video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) (41.9%), or thoracotomy (6.5%). The 30-day mortality rate was 25.8% and 24.0 days of the average length of hospital stay.

Conclusion

Early accurate diagnosis and timely intervention have been shown to be correlated with a positive prognosis. Cervicothoracic CT (computed tomography) is essential for the diagnosis, staging, and evaluation of the optimal surgical treatment. Cervicotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous drainage is effective, even in advanced cases. Additionally, the application of VSD in cervical incision did not improve prognosis but may shorten the length of ICU (intensive care unit) and hospital stays.

Acute Mediastinitis - Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Surgical Therapy (A Single-Center Experience)

Purpose: The aims of this work were the retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients with acute mediastinitis treated at the authors’ worksite over a 15-year period and the identification of factors that significantly affect the outcomes of the therapy.

Methods: During the period 2006–2020, 80 patients with acute mediastinitis were treated. Within the cohort, the following were observed: the causes and the type of acute mediastinitis, length of anamnesis, comorbidities, diagnostic methods, time from the diagnosis to surgery, types and number of surgical procedures, results of microbiological tests, complications, and outcomes of the treatment.

Results: The most common type of acute mediastinitis was descending mediastinitis (48.75%). A total of 116 surgical procedures were performed. Ten patients in the cohort died (12.5%). Patients older than 60 years were at a 6.8 times higher risk of death. Patients with more than two comorbidities were at a 14.3 times higher risk of death. The presence of yeasts in the culture material increased the risk of death by 4.4 times.

Conclusion: Early diagnosis, removal of the cause of mediastinitis, sufficient mediastinal debridement, and multiple drainage thereof with the possibility of continual postoperative lavage are essential for the successful treatment of acute mediastinitis.

Necrotizing fasciitis of the chest wall: A clinical case report and literature review

Necrotizing fasciitis of the chest wall is a very rare pathology, but with significant mortality, representing a therapeutic challenge. All international reports indicate the need for early diagnosis and an aggressive medical-surgical attitude in order to improve the prognosis. In addition to a review of literature, we present a case developed secondary to a thoracic pleural drainage for pyopneumothorax associated with significant bronchopleural fistula in a destroyed tuberculous left lung. Along with medical treatment, extensive surgical debridement was required. Despite drainage incisions and negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), the evolution of the fasciitis was difficult, due to bronchopleurocutaneous fistula. Thus, the Azorin procedure (transcervical mediastinoscopic closure of the left main bronchus) was performed. Once this procedure was completed, the inflammatory phenomena were controlled which allowed for a second step consisting of left pneumonectomy, with the application of specific methods for the prevention of bronchial fistula. The clinical case was a therapeutic challenge requiring a complex, staged, multidisciplinary approach due to both the immunocompromised terrain and the severity of the lesions. In conclusion, early recognition and aggressive and combined application of medical and surgical treatment methods can ensure therapeutic success.

Candida albicans necrotizing fasciitis following elective surgery

Necrotizing fasciitis is a potentially fatal soft tissue infection that requires prompt clinical suspicion, pharmacological and surgical interventions. Bacterial pathogens, such as beta-hemolytic streptococcus and Staphylococcus aureus, are the main etiology of necrotizing fasciitis, however, rare cases caused by fungal pathogens, such as Candida albicans, have been reported following trauma. Here, we present the first case of C. albicans necrotizing fasciitis following an elective surgical procedure in an immunocompetent adult.

Necrotizing Fasciitis due to Candida Infection after Thyroid Surgery

Surgical site infections (SSIs) after thyroidectomy are very rare as it is a clean case surgery, even the patterns for the use of prophylactic antibiotics is disputable. Cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue infections are the most common type of SSIs that develop due to the contamination of the skin flora pathogens during surgical incision. We report the case of a patient who, unlike the reports in the literature, developed necrotizing fasciitis due to Candida infection after total thyroidectomy. A 65-year-old male patient developed SSI progressing to necrotizing fasciitis four days after total thyroidectomy. Rapidly progressive necrosis was observed until antifungal treatment was initiated. Tissue defect eventually recovered with complete epithelization 40 days after the operation.