Staphylococcus aureus Dissemination Presenting With Encephalopathy and Epidural Abscess.

Background

Staphylococcal infection is a common bacterial disease with common clinical features. Untreated infection, especially in immunosenescence cases, can affect other organs. This can lead to multiorgan dysfunction and cause increased morbidity and mortality. Unlike commonly presented features of pneumonia, dissemination of infection can pose diagnostic and therapeutic enigma. Therefore, any such presentation in common clinical practice can yield a conundrum of diagnoses. Case Report: A 69-year-old elderly male presented to the Emergency Department with acute onset encephalopathy. Historically, cues were limited, and evaluation was negated for acute cerebrovascular event or seizure. Laboratory findings were suggestive of a severe sepsis. While clinical medicine workup and diagnostic dilemma were ongoing, possible sources of the sepsis were thoroughly sought including range of infectious causes. This patient's presentation was one of its kind: staphylococcal bacteremia seeding to cause pneumonia and unusual epidural abscess in due course of illness.

Conclusion

The health outcome of the critically ill especially elderly patients depends mostly on the importance of clinical medicine to address the diagnostic enigma and virtue of supportive care delivered. Staphylococcus aureus infections are capable of developing distant infectious foci, as highlighted in this case, and that the clinician should be alert to this possibility. This particular case firmly posits an admonition for clinicians and the importance of clinical medicine for critical reasoning to improve the patient outcome.