Purulent Pericarditis in a Neonate

A 10-day-old male infant presented with rapid and labored breathing to an outside hospital. An echocardiogram demonstrated a thick, non-free-flowing pericardial effusion. A blood culture drawn grew Escherichia coli. The patient underwent a pericardectomy and pericardial drainage. Samples were taken for acid-fast bacilli, cytomegalovirus antigenemia, fungal, and fluid cultures, all of which were negative. A repeat echocardiogram demonstrated resolution of the pericardial effusion. Antibiotic therapy alone is insufficient to treat purulent pericarditis. The successful treatment of purulent pericarditis requires the combination of pericardial decompression with open drainage and appropriate antibiotic therapy.