Premium
Not the usual cardiac rhythm device infection: A fastidious pathogen with several teaching points
Author(s) -
Cawley Peter J.,
Ravindrin Bipin K.,
Poole Jeanne E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of hospital medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.128
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1553-5606
pISSN - 1553-5592
DOI - 10.1002/jhm.260
Subject(s) - fastidious organism , medicine , haemophilus parainfluenzae , pathogen , incubation period , incubation , microbiology and biotechnology , cardiac surgery , blood culture , respiratory tract infections , intensive care medicine , immunology , biology , bacteria , respiratory system , antibiotics , haemophilus influenzae , biochemistry , genetics
Abstract Because cardiac device infections may include fastidious pathogens, extended incubation of blood cultures is suggested. A patient with an infection of a right ventricular lead implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system is described. The device was implanted 6 months earlier. The pathogen was identified as Haemophilus parainfluenzae, which was cultured within 72 hours and was presumably from a respiratory tract infection. Extended incubation was not necessary to culture this fastidious pathogen. Two large retrospective studies suggest that prolonged incubation for fastidious organisms is generally not necessary because of advances in culture media and automated blood culture systems. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2008;3:173–175. © 2007 Society of Hospital Medicine.