Polymicrobial bacterial pericarditis with mediastinitis after endotracheal intubation.

Polymicrobial bacterial pericarditis with mediastinitis after traumatic endotracheal intubation is an unusual condition. We report a 54-year-old man, a victim of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, who developed pericardial effusion with tamponade after traumatic endotracheal intubation. The diagnosis of polymicrobial bacterial pericarditis was made when pericardiocentesis revealed purulent fluid that grew a mixed culture of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, reflecting the normal upper airway flora. By bronchoscopic study, a laceration over the lower trachea was detected. The patient received prolonged aggressive antibiotic therapy and pericardial drainage. The infection improved, but the patient later died from another episode of nosocomial infection.