ACUTE MEDIASTINITIS SECONDARY TO LEAKAGE OF PARENTERAL-NUTRITION FROMA MIGRATED CENTRAL VENOUS CATHETER IN A PATIENT UNDERGOING AUTOLOGOUSBONE-MARROW TRANSPLANT

We describe an unusual case of pyrexia of unknown origin in a patient undergoing autologous bone marrow transplantation for metastatic breas t cancer. The fever was due to extravasation of lipid-containing hyper alimentation fluid from a migrated central venous catheter into the me diastinum, resulting in mediastinitis and pleurisy, The fever persiste d despite broad-spectrum antibiotics and amphotericin B, and finally r esponded to steroids.