Case report of extreme gastric distention and perforation with pathologic Sarcina ventriculi colonization and Rett syndrome

Here we describe a case of a 15-year-old child with Rett syndrome who presented with extreme gastric distension and fatal perforation in the setting of long-standing aerophagia and pathologic colonization with Sarcina ventriculi, a rare bacteria implicated in gastric perforation. This is the first report of gastric perforation associated with colonization by Sarcina in a patient with pathologic aerophagia. Gastric colonization with Sarcina should be considered in intellectually disabled children with pathologic air swallowing who present with severe gastric dilation and/or perforation.