[Invasive aspergillosis after near-drowning: case reports and review of the literature].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical presentations and disease courses of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients after near-drowning.

Methods: The clinical data of 3 cases of invasive aspergillosis after near-drowning from Oct. 2005 to Aug. 2010 in this hospital were retrospectively analyzed, and the related literature was reviewed.

Results: There were 1 male and 2 female patients, aged from 18 to 72 years. All of them had been immunocompetent before drowning. Two patients drowned because of traffic accident, and 1 fell in sewage by accident. All of the 3 patients were intubated because of acute respiratory failure, and received broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy. One had transient leucopenia, and 2 patients received glucocorticoid therapy. The condition of the 3 cases deteriorated 9 to 11 days after near-drowning. Aspergillus was isolated from sputum samples of 2 patients at the same time. Thoracic CT findings included multiple nodules, consolidation and cavity formation. Multiple abscesses in cerebral parenchyma were found in 1 patient with invasive cerebral aspergillosis. One patient died, whose lungs, cerebral parenchyma, myocardium and kidney were all infected by aspergillus. The other 2 patients, whose infection limited to the lungs, had a positive prognosis. Using the terms "aspergillosis" and "near-drowning" a PUBMED search yielded 7 articles, published between 1984 and 2010. Using the terms "invasive pulmonary aspergillosis" and "near-drowning", searching Wangfang data and CHED data, encompass 1 article, published in 2009. In all of the 8 articles, there are 5 final diagnosis cases and 3 clinical diagnosis cases.

Conclusions: IA was very rare in immunocompetent hosts but had been reported in previously healthy individuals after near-drowning. Aspergillosis might develop 1 to 2 weeks after near-drowning, and the prognosis was poor in patients with central nervous system involvement.