Prostatic abscess associated with Bacteroides fragilis mediastinitis after heart surgery

Abstract

Anaerobic mediastinitis after cardiac surgery is a rare and poorly understood condition. We observed a patient with diabetes and myelodysplastic syndrome who developed Bacteroides fragilis mediastinitis in conjunction with a prostatic abscess, several days after coronary artery bypass surgery; this hitherto unpublished observation suggests that suppurative infection of the genito-urinary tract may constitute a portal of entry for postoperative anaerobic mediastinitis in predisposed patients.