AUTHOR=Yang Zheng , Li Zhihui 

TITLE=Sepsis caused by emphysematous pyelonephritis: A case report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.1038455

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2022.1038455

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Purpose</title><p>Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rare, life-threatening necrotizing renal parenchymal infection. It is most commonly reported in patients with poor glycemic control.</p></sec><sec><title>Patient concerns</title><p>We report the case of a 64-year-old woman who presented to the emergency room with fever and weakness over the last few days.</p></sec><sec><title>Diagnosis</title><p>After a series of tests in the diagnostic workup, the patient was diagnosed with emphysematous pyelonephritis and sepsis.</p></sec><sec><title>Intervention and outcome</title><p>She received conservative treatment with meropenem and symptomatic treatment, and the symptoms improved significantly.</p></sec><sec><title>Lessons</title><p>EPN can be reliably diagnosed using non-contrast abdominal CT imaging. The infection is most commonly caused by the <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> species, and a good curative effect can be achieved with early diagnosis and appropriate and timely treatment.</p></sec>