Port-site Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections occur most frequently in females following laparoscopic procedures and should be suspected when wound complications develop 3-4 weeks following surgery, according to findings published in Cureus. The researchers examined case reports of port-site NTM infections after cholecystectomy among immunocompromised female patients aged 34-58. Most patients underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and developed symptoms within a month or less of the procedure. All patients were treated with clarithromycin and ciprofloxacin; a subset of patients also received amikacin. Treatment ranged from 4 to 10 months and the time necessary for healing of wounds/nodules ranged from 3 to 10 months. The study team noted that surgical debridement may be necessary to retrieve tissue for culture/histology, as well as in cases that do not re-spond to drug treatment. “NTM infections should be suspected if the wound complications occur 3 to 4 weeks after surgery,” the researchers wrote.”
