Occurrence of pyogenic meningitis during the course of endoscopic variceal ligation therapy

Occurrence of infective endocarditis following endoscopic variceal ligation therapy: A case report

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic variceal ligation (EVL) is the endoscopic treatment of acute esophageal variceal hemorrhage, however, prophylaxis antibiotic during EVL is controversial.

METHODS

We reported a 60-year-old man with diabetes, liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma who received EVL for esophageal variceal haemorrhage.

RESULTS

On the second day after EVL, the patient developed fever and chills. A week after EVL, the blood cultures were viridans streptococcus positive, and echocardiogram showed a vegetation on the cardiac valve. The patient was therefore diagnosed with infective endocarditis (IE). The patient was cured after 7 weeks of intravenous piperacillin sulbactam sodium. No complications were observed during the 3-month follow-up after discharge.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first documented case to report IE caused by viridans streptococcus after EVL. Therefore, whether prophylaxis antibiotic should be administered to cirrhotic patients receiving EVL is worth further research.

Role of prophylactic antibiotics in cirrhotic patients with variceal bleeding

Bacterial infections are common in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding, occurring in 20% within 48 h. Outcomes including early rebleeding and failure to control bleeding are strongly associated with bacterial infection. However, mortality from variceal bleeding is largely determined by the severity of liver disease. Besides a higher Child-Pugh score, patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are particularly susceptible to infections. Despite several hypotheses that include increased use of instruments, greater risk of aspiration pneumonia and higher bacterial translocation, it remains debatable whether variceal bleeding results in infection or vice versa but studies suggest that antibiotic prophylaxis prior to endoscopy and up to 8 h is useful in reducing bacteremia and spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Aerobic gram negative bacilli of enteric origin are most commonly isolated from cultures, but more recently, gram positives and quinolone-resistant organisms are increasingly seen, even though their clinical significance is unclear. Fluoroquinolones (including ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin) used for short term (7 d) have the most robust evidence and are recommended in most expert guidelines. Short term intravenous cephalosporin (especially ceftriaxone), given in a hospital setting with prevalent quinolone-resistant organisms, has been shown in studies to be beneficial, particularly in high risk patients with advanced cirrhosis.

Transmission of infection by flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy and bronchoscopy

Flexible endoscopy is a widely used diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. Contaminated endoscopes are the medical devices frequently associated with outbreaks of health care-associated infections. Accurate reprocessing of flexible endoscopes involves cleaning and high-level disinfection followed by rinsing and drying before storage. Most contemporary flexible endoscopes cannot be heat sterilized and are designed with multiple channels, which are difficult to clean and disinfect. The ability of bacteria to form biofilms on the inner channel surfaces can contribute to failure of the decontamination process. Implementation of microbiological surveillance of endoscope reprocessing is appropriate to detect early colonization and biofilm formation in the endoscope and to prevent contamination and infection in patients after endoscopic procedures. This review presents an overview of the infections and cross-contaminations related to flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy and bronchoscopy and illustrates the impact of biofilm on endoscope reprocessing and postendoscopic infection.

Fatal Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis and emphysematous brain abscess after endoscopic variceal ligation in a patient with liver cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus

Procedure-related bacterial infections may complicate esophageal variceal ligation in cirrhosis patients. Here, we report a 58-year-old man with underlying diabetes and liver cirrhosis who developed Klebsiella pneumoniae meningitis and brain abscess with gas formation in brain parenchyma and ventricles after this procedure. Despite administration of appropriate antimicrobial therapy, he became comatose on the 3rd day of acute illness and died on the 4th day of hospitalization. This case highlights the indication for antimicrobial prophylaxis in cirrhotic patients with gastrointestinal bleeding, and the need for early and heightened awareness of central nervous system infections in cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

The Occurrence and Prevention of Infections Associated with Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

In the four decades since the introduction of flexible endoscopy into medical practice, nearly 300 cases of human infections or pseudoinfections involving bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses have been linked to endoscopic procedures. In the majority of such cases, inadequate cleaning and disinfection techniques during the reprocessing of the instruments or their accessories have been likely contributing factors. Working groups from major gastroenterology societies and infection control organizations have established standards of care for the routine maintenance of endoscopic equipment in order to decrease the rates of infection even further. Since the institution of these standards, rates of transmission of infections to patients have decreased, though have not been completely resolved. This article reviews the available literature on transmission of pathogenic agents through endoscopic procedures, summarizes the current guidelines for the care of endoscopic equipment, and discusses available preventive measures aimed at decreasing the risk of endoscopy-related infections.

Photodynamic effects on rabbit auricular veins after photosensitization with porfimer sodium: Implications of the results with respect to the treatment of esophageal varices with photodynamic therapy

BACKGROUND

There are numerous clinical applications for photodynamic therapy in the GI tract. The principal reason for the wide variety of lesions amenable to photodynamic therapy is the ability to treat large areas of mucosa without the need for complete visualization. This report describes observed hemodynamic and histologic changes in rabbit auricles after photodynamic therapy and the feasibility of photodynamic therapy for esophageal varices.

METHODS

Porfimer sodium and an argon-dye laser (630 nm, 300 mW/cm(2)) were used. Twenty rabbits were grouped according to porfimer sodium dose: group 1 (2.0 mg/kg, n = 10); group 2 (1.0 mg/kg, n = 6); group 3 (0.2 mg/kg, n = 4). Rabbit auricular veins were classified according to time duration of laser illumination: V(0), no illumination; V(5), 5 minutes; V(10), 10 minutes; V(15), 15 minutes. Hemodynamic changes were observed with a laser Doppler blood flow meter. Histologic changes were evaluated by light microscopy.

RESULTS

For groups 1 and 2, there was a significant decrease in blood flow for V(15) after photodynamic therapy, but not in group 3. There was a significant difference in the grade of thrombus between V(5) and V(15) in groups 1 and 2, and between V(10) and V(15) in group 2. There was a significant difference in the grade of venous dilation (congestion) for V(15) between groups 1 and 3 (p < 0.05, Kruskal-Wallis test).

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic photodynamic therapy could possibly improve the outcome for endoscopic treatment of esophageal varices beyond that achieved by sclerotherapy or band ligation alone.