Post-functional endoscopic sinus surgery methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus sinusitis

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a highly virulent bac terium that is difficult to eradicate. It has become a common nosocominal p athogen, but it also causes sporadic infections in some outpatients. Among 358 chronic sinusitis patients who received functional endoscopic sinus sur gery (FESS)Sor treatment between July 1995 and June 1997 in our department 18 were infected postoperatively by MRSA by the end of August 1997. One pat ient was excluded because she received another nasal surgery, partial turbi nectomy, and submucous resection of the nasal septum, after FESS. Most of 1 7 MRSA infected patients presented themselves with mucopurulent nasal disch arge and/or nasal crust. The treatment was generally difficult because MRSA s were resistant to multiple antibiotics. When quinolone antibiotics were u sed to treat most patients, the improvement rate was 76.5%. We conclude tha t MRSA infections in post-FESS patients might affect the outcome of FESS.