MRSA Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about MRSA, including details on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

High-pressure irrigation and gentian-violet application for mediastinitis following replacement of ascending aorta and aortic valve.

Kato T, Takagi H, Matsuno Y, Imaizumi M, Umemoto T

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Shizuoka Medical Center, 762-1 Nagasawa, Shimizu-cho, Sunto-gun, Shizuoka, 411-8611, Japan, takkato.nine-lives@s5.dion.ne.jp.

Mediastinitis following ascending aortic replacement is intractable and potentially fatal, and the feature is characterized as having both high mortality and morbidity when its causation pathology is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Possible treatments for the condition, which include debridement, irrigation, and healthy tissue transposition, often result in failure. We report a case of MRSA mediastinitis after replacement of the ascending aorta and the aortic valve successfully treated by continuous saline lavage and drainage, debridement, high-pressure irrigation, and gentian-violet application, and delayed omental-flap transposition. The application of gentian violet and high-pressure irrigation may provide an additional option to the standard therapy for intractable mediastinitis after ascending aortic replacement.

Published 4 December 2006 in Heart Vessels, 21(6): 392-4.
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