Acute mastoiditis--the antibiotic era: a multicenter study

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the clinical course and identify the causative organisms of acute mastoiditis in a community where most of the patients who develop acute otitis media are treated with antibiotics.

METHODS

A multicenter retrospective review of a series of 223 consecutive cases of acute mastoiditis.

SETTING

Nine secondary or tertiary academic or non-academic referral centers.

RESULTS

Prior to the diagnosis of acute mastoiditis, 121 of the patients (54.3%) had been receiving oral antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media for periods ranging from 1 to 21 days (mean 5.3 days). Samples for bacterial culture were obtained from 152 patients. Cultures were negative in 60 patients. The organisms isolated in the 92 positive cultures were: Streptococcus pneumoniae (15 patients), Streptococcus pyogenes (14 patients), Staphylococcus aureus (13 patients), Staphylococcus coagulase negative (three patients), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (eight patients), Haemophilus influenzae (four patients), Proteus mirabilis (two patients), Escherichia coli (two patients), Klebsiella pneumoniae (one patient), Enterobacter (one patient), Acinetobacter (one patient), anaerobic gram-negative bacilli (one patient), and fungi (two patients). Ten patients had mixed flora. Sixteen patients presented with complications (cerebellar abscess, perisinus empyema, subdural abscess or empyema, extradural abscess, cavernous sinus thrombosis, lateral sinus thrombosis, bacterial meningitis, labyrinthitis, petrositis, or facial nerve palsy).

CONCLUSIONS

Antibiotic treatment cannot be considered an absolute safeguard against the development of acute mastoiditis. Early myringotomy for acute otitis media seems to decrease the incidence of complications. The distribution of causative organisms in acute mastoiditis differs from that in acute otitis media. Intracranial complications in acute mastoiditis are not rare. Because of the diversity of causative organisms in acute mastoiditis and the growing resistance of bacteria to the various antibiotics, all means to obtain a sample for culture prior to antibiotic treatment, including general anesthesia.

Acute mastoiditis--revisited

The clinical course and causative organisms were studied in 18 patients with acute mastoiditis, 13 of whom (72%) had no previous history of middle ear disease. Their age ranged from 5 months to 21 years, and duration of middle ear symptoms immediately prior to admission ranged from 1 to 45 days (average 9.7 days). None had undergone a myringotomy prior to admission, while 13 (72%) had been receiving antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media. Three were admitted with intracranial complications. Bacteria were isolated in 10 of the 16 patients in whom samples were available for bacterial culture, and included Streptococcus pneumonia (2), Streptococcus pyogenes (2), Staphylococcus aureus (2), Staphlococcus coagulase negative (2), Klebsiella pneumonia (1), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1). Of the 17 patients treated by us, 11 received surgery. Acute otitis media, secretory otitis media, acute mastoiditis, subacute mastoiditis and masked mastoiditis create a continuum. Antibiotic treatment for acute otitis media cannot be considered as an absolute safeguard against acute mastoiditis. When antibiotics are prescribed for acute mastoiditis before culture result is available, an anti-staphylococcal agent should be included. At least some patients with acute mastoiditis develop a primary infection of the bony framework of the middle ear cleft. The prevalence of the intracranial complications in acute mastoiditis is still high and may appear soon after or concomitant with the first sign of acute mastioditis.

Management of penetrating wounds of the neck

Management policies for penetrating wounds of the neck vary from mandatory surgical exploration to selective surgical exploration following extensive or minimal imaging investigation. In order to review the treatment protocol at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel, we retrospectively studied 21 patients who were treated between the years 1984 and 1989. Thirteen had gunshot injuries and eight had stab wounds. Eight patients had undergone immediate exploration of the neck. Four patients had died, but all of these latter patients had evidence for significant bleeding that could have been detected within a short time of admission. On the basis of our findings and previous studies, we conclude that: presenting features of neck injuries should be differentiated into two basic categories: immediately life-threatening and not immediately life-threatening. Immediately life-threatening features include overt massive bleeding, expanding hematoma, non-expanding hematoma in the presence of hemodynamic instability, hemomediastinum, hemothorax, and hypovolemic shock. In all of these cases, immediate surgical exploration is mandatory. Non-life-threatening features include any signs of vascular complication in a hemodynamically stable patient, signs of upper aerodigestive tract lesions (when initial treatment has already relieved respiratory distress) and peripheral neurological deficits. These patients should undergo thorough imaging investigations on the basis of which the need for and the nature of possible surgical intervention can be determined.