Ohya I, Bunai Y, Tsujinaka M, Akaza K, Nakamura I
Department of Legal Medicine, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Leg Med (Tokyo). 2001 Dec;3(4):246-51. doi: 10.1016/s1344-6223(01)00037-2.
Aspergillus pancarditis is a rare infection, and it has rarely been reported after blood transfusion. In this report, we describe a fatal case of Aspergillus pancarditis in a patient who received antibiotics and corticoids after an incompatible blood transfusion intended to be an autologous blood transfusion. A 64-year-old man suffering from herniation of intervertebral disk between C4 and C5 received an anterior cervical spinal fusion. After the operation, he received incompatible blood transfusion and fell into disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and preshock state. Anticoagulants and corticoids were given and he recovered from DIC and the preshock state. However, he remained quadriplegic because of enlargement of cervical epidural hematoma that was initially brought out by the operation. He developed bacterial bronchopneumonia 2 weeks after the transfusion and received antibiotic therapy. The pneumonia was cured a week later. Five weeks after the transfusion, he developed Aspergillus pneumonia and received antimycotic therapy. However, his condition grew worse and died 2 months after the transfusion. Autopsy revealed Aspergillus pancarditis. In this case, the relationship between the erroneous transfusion and the patient's death was obvious and it was considered that the erroneous transfusion should be blamed for the patient's death.
