City International Hospital (CIH) today announced that it had successfully saved a 52-year-old Cambodian patient infected with the dangerous Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria.
The patient was admitted in critical condition with severe respiratory failure, prolonged high fever with chills lasting several weeks, blood clotting disorders, liver and lung damage, and an abscess in the left groin area. Diagnostic results indicated that the patient was suffering from sepsis, severe pneumonia, and multiple organ failure.
Upon receiving the patient, the intensive care team assessed that this was a case of severe bloodstream infection with multiple organ damage. Notably, the presence of cellulitis and the risk of deep muscle abscesses in the perineal region led doctors to focus on treating severe sepsis, with a clinical direction toward diagnosing Whitmore’s disease.
The patient received intensive treatment, including continuous hemodialysis, mechanical ventilation, potent antibiotics, and specialized methods for electrolyte correction and hemodynamic support.
After more than three weeks of intensive care, the patient's pneumonia gradually improved, breathing became more stable, sedation was gradually reduced, and liver and kidney functions improved, leading to the moment the patient was extubated and able to breathe independently.
