Cardiac Tamponade from Purulent Pericarditis due to Cutibacterium acnes
- Resource Type
- article
- Authors
- Ardalon Farhat-Sabet; Robert Hull; Dustin Thomas
- Source
- Case Reports in Cardiology, Vol 2018 (2018)
- Subject
- Diseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system
RC666-701
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2090-6404
2090-6412
Purulent pericarditis is a potentially fatal disease with high mortality rates if untreated. Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) is an anaerobic bacteria that is ubiquitous in skin flora and is commonly thought of as a culture contaminant; however, it does have pathogenic potential. We present a case of purulent pericarditis secondary to C. acnes leading to cardiac tamponade. Initial stabilization and diagnosis were made via pericardiocentesis; afterward the patient underwent a pericardial window. Due to a severe penicillin allergy, he was successfully treated with a 14-day course of vancomycin. To our knowledge, this represents only the third published case of purulent pericarditis with cardiac tamponade caused by C. acnes and the first case treated with a 14-day course of vancomycin.