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CC BY 4.0 · Aorta (Stamford) 2022; 10(05): 256-258
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1757791
Case Report

Fulminant Herpes Pneumonia Postaortic Surgery with Known Ankylosing Spondylitis

Nicole Asemota 
1   Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
,
Ikenna David Ike
1   Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
,
Aung Ye Oo 
1   Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
,
Ana Lopez-Marco
1   Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, United Kingdom
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) pneumonitis is rare after cardiac surgery. A 36-year-old gentleman with ankylosing spondylitis underwent emergency surgery for a complex aortic aneurysmal disease. Preoperative treatment of aortitis with antitumor necrosis factor and steroid medication and surgical stress including cardiopulmonary bypass potentially created an immunosuppressive state and reactivation of undiagnosed HSV. Rapid HSV pneumonia ensued, culminating in fulminant organ failure and mortality. HSV pneumonia should be considered postoperatively in patients with severe respiratory distress, especially if immunocompromised.

Keywords

pneumonia - herpes simplex - postoperative - immunosuppression


Publication History

Received: 13 September 2021

Accepted: 13 April 2022

Article published online:
20 December 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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