January 14, 2002
Surgery
Question from Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada:
My mother-in-law’s type 2 diabetes was controlled quite well with her diet up until six months ago, when she had heart surgery after which she developed MRSA [methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial infection with an antibiotic-resistant germ] in her chest. As a result, she lost her sternum, which was removed a month later, and once again she developed MRSA. This time she was surgically cleaned up, and a month later, they removed muscle from her stomach to rebuild her a chest wall and skin graphed the area. Last month, she started to get open draining wounds. Can anyone explain why she is now still having openings? Is there a chance they may never completely close?
Answer:
I am sorry about your mother-in-law’s struggle with her health. The problem with clearing the MRSA in the chest is that it takes long-term antibiotics which can cause side-effects, it can stay hidden for a long time before it grows back out, and she has diabetes which makes it more difficult to clear the infection. The combination of her medical problems and her age make it difficult for her to clear the infection. With her history of heart surgery, there is also concern that the heart valves can be infected and provide a continuous source of infection.
I am afraid I cannot give you any direction regarding your mother-in-law’s course. I think she needs to receive intensive medical care.
JTL
