Abstract
This case report describes an elderly man with a history of alcohol use disorder and primary malignant liver neoplasm who presented to the emergency department with dyspnea, asthenia, fever, and signs of respiratory distress. Diagnostic tests, including a chest radiograph and computed tomography, revealed a large left-sided exudative pleural effusion with regular and diffuse pleural enhancement, a large tumor lesion in the left lobe with diaphragmatic and pleural invasion, and a liver with features suggestive of cirrhosis. Laboratory data showed increased inflammatory markers and hyperlactacidemia. Following thoracentesis, pleural fluid culture revealed the growth of Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. Despite targeted antibiotic therapy with the resolution of the infectious condition, the patient's clinical condition worsened, resulting in multiorgan failure, and the patient ultimately died in this context.