[Multiple organ failure in Plasmodium falciparum malaria].

A 44-year-old Spanish woman travelled in Kenya without doing correct malarial prophylaxis. Upon her return to Spain, she suffered from Plasmodium falciparum malaria. She was initially treated with chloroquine for three days, but her state worsened and she was admitted to our intensive care unit. On admission, parasitaemia was 22%. She had hyperpyrexia, obtundation, hypotension, tachycardia, tachypnoea, jaundice, digestive haemorrhage, petechiae in her soles, oliguria with elevation of serum uraemia and creatinine, anaemia, thrombocytopaenia, hypoproteinaemia, hyponatraemia, hypocalcaemia, metabolic acidosis and parameters of disseminated intravascular coagulation. She was given quinine, sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and clindamycin. An exchange transfusion was performed, during which an acute pulmonary oedema appeared, initially with high pulmonary artery wedge pressure. She required mechanical ventilation for 16 days and haemodialysis for 11 days. She remained in coma and had seizures which required diazepam, phenitoin and thiopentone. She received a total amount of 22 units of packed erythrocytes, 55 of platelets and 15 of plasma. After the first week, she had nosocomial infection due to Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and was treated with the corresponding antibiotics. She cured completely. This case report gives us the possibility of discussing on frequent problems in the prevention and treatment of malaria, and on the treatment of severe, life-threatening malaria in the setting of the intensive care unit.