Surgery combined with antibiotics for thoracic vertebral Escherichia coli infection after acupuncture: A case report

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is relatively popular worldwide, but an unregulated operation can easily lead to infections. The purpose of this report was to analyze a clinical case of surgery combined with the use of antibiotics for the treatment of thoracic vertebral infection by Escherichia coli (E. coli) after acupuncture. CASE SUMMARY: A 63-year-old male was diagnosed with E. coli infection in the thoracic vertebra after acupuncture. His fever and pain did not improve after treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics for 10 d. Thus, debridement of the infected area and biopsy were decided. The final pathology confirmed the diagnosis of vertebral infection by E. coli. The patient underwent anterior and posterior thoracic vertebral debridement and internal fixation surgery combined with the use of sensitive antibiotics. He had no fever or backache 3 mo postoperatively. CONCLUSION: In this report, we first considered antibiotic treatment for the patient with septic spinal infection, but the effect was not obvious. Interventional surgery was combined with the use of sensitive antibiotics to relieve backache, and good clinical results were achieved. Furthermore, acupuncture practitioners should pay attention to hygienic measures.