Abstract
The patient was a 75-year-old man with a past history of total laryngectomy and permanent tracheostomy for laryngeal cancer and Hartmann’s operation and colostomy for rectal cancer. He was emergently hospitalized with pyrexia, general malaise, and loss of appetite. Detailed investigation revealed an infected thoracic aortic aneurysm secondary to Escherichia coli infection. He was initially treated with intravenous antibiotics, and subsequently underwent resection of the infected portion of the thoracic aorta and synthetic graft replacement of the ascending, arch, and descending portions of the aorta via an intercostal thoracotomy with cardiopulmonary bypass use. Postoperatively, intrathoracic lavage and drainage procedures were continued for 16 days and intravenous antibiotics for 6 weeks, successfully controlling the infection. No signs of recurrent infection have been observed for 2 years, to date. Although this patient’s condition was initially difficult to manage, especially in terms of selecting the optimal surgical method, he was successfully treated and a favorable outcome was obtained.
