| CASE REPORT |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 2 | Page : 104-106 |
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Clostridium perfringens empyema in a patient with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
Daniel Jungmyung Oh1, Stephen Brecher2, Marcus Ruopp3
1 Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
2 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, VA Boston HealthCare System, West Roxbury, Massachusetts and Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
3 Department of Medicine, VA Boston HealthCare System, West Roxbury, Massachusetts, USA
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Daniel Jungmyung Oh
Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/IJCIIS.IJCIIS_51_17
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We report a rare case of Clostridium perfringens (CP) empyema in a patient with metastatic squamous cell cancer of the lung. Clostridial empyemas are rare and clinically variable with some reports noting consequent necrotizing infections and septic shock and others noting quick resolution with source control and antibiotic treatment. This is the first case report to our knowledge to report a CP empyema in a patient with lung malignancy. Given the comorbid lung malignancy, the patient's presenting symptoms were mild with only mild shortness of breath, fevers, and generalized weakness despite the large CP empyema. Early antibiotics and source control with daily drainage of the pleural fluid allowed for successful management, circumventing a complex critical care course and successful management without ambulatory oxygen therapy on discharge.
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