Zain Amar MD, Muneeb Rehman MBBS, Alfredo Iardino MD, Yasir Ahmed MD
Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a challenging clinical dilemma that is often overlooked. Nafcillin is a beta-lactam anti-staphylococcal penicillin antibiotic used as a first-line treatment for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia and severe infections. Nafcillin has been associated with a higher rate of premature antibiotic discontinuation than cefazolin. Here we report a 58-year-old woman with multiple comorbid conditions who presented with a prosthetic right hip joint infection due to MSSA and was treated with nafcillin but developed profound thrombocytopenia due to a possible nafcillin side effect on the 14th day of therapy. Thrombocytopenia resolved after discontinuation of nafcillin, and the patient was treated successfully with cefazolin.
Keywords: Nafcillin-induced thrombocytopenia, drug-induced thrombocytopenia, thrombocytopenia
Article citation: Amar Z, Rehman M, Iardino A, Ahmed Y. Nafcillin-induced thrombocytopenia: An uncommon complication. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2024;12(52):20–24
From: Infectious Diseases Department (ZA, MR, YA), Ascension St. John Medical Center, Tulsa, OK; CHI St. Alexius Medical Center (AI), Bismarck, ND
Submitted: 4/15/2024
Accepted: 6/26/2024
Conflicts of interest: none
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