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This 67-year-old male with advanced colon cancer underwent palliative surgery to remove a bowel obstruction. During the surgery the patient had several episodes of hypotension and after surgery he required ventilator support. Four days later the patient developed a fever and his white blood cell count was 15,256 cells/mm3. A chest x-ray demonstrated infiltrates in both lungs, which worsened over the next several days. His overall condition continued to deteriorate and he died 12 days after surgery.

At autopsy, the lungs were markedly consolidated and had several focal abscesses that were 2 to 4 cm in diameter. Liquefied material poured out from these abscesses when the lungs were sliced.

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