Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Vertebral Osteomyelitis Following Epidural Catheterization: A Case Report and Literature Review

摘要

Indwelling epidural catheters are frequently used to manage postoperative pain. This report describes a patient who developed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) vertebral osteomyelitis of the lumbar spine following epidural catheterization. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of MRSA vertebral osteomyelitis secondary to epidural catheter use in the English orthopedic literature. The patient and his family consented to publishing the data. Keywords: MRSA, epidural anesthesia Epidural analgesia provides excellent pain control following surgery. This reduces the postoperative morbidity and therefore results in better patient compliance for early rehabilitation. Infectious complications following epidural anesthesia are rare in healthy people. Infections such as epidural abscess and meningitis are well documented. The epidural catheter may serve as a nidus for bacteria along its tract from skin to epidural space, so immunocompromised patients and patients with bacteremia are at higher risk of developing infectious complications related to epidural catheter insertion.