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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · AJP Rep 2021; 11(02): e99-e101
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1731315
Case Report

Acute Otitis Media in an Extremely Preterm Infant

Aashika Janwadkar 
1   Department of Pediatrics, St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, New York
,
Shirley Louis
2   Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York
,
Sheri L. Nemerofsky 
2   Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York
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Abstract

There are a limited number of documented cases of acute otitis media (AOM) in preterm infants while hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). We present a case of a former 26 weeks old infant who at 29 weeks, 6 days postmenstrual age presented with acute signs and symptoms of systemic sepsis subsequently found to be secondary to AOM with purulent ear drainage. The patient received a septic evaluation, including urine, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid studies. Treatment included intravenous antibiotics with full resolution of symptoms. AOM in extreme preterm infants is multifactorial, with leading causes that include prematurity, the use of oropharyngeal and nasogastric tube placement and endotracheal intubation, eustachian tube dysfunction, and a distinct immune response. To our knowledge, there is not another published case of AOM of a preterm baby while in the NICU.

Keywords

acute otitis media - preterm - NICU - otorrhea


Publication History

Received: 21 February 2021

Accepted: 30 March 2021

Article published online:
23 June 2021

© 2021. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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