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State- of- the- Art Adjuncts in the Treatment of Necrotizing Fasciitis Improves Survivability and Cosmesis

Amparo Cano, MSN, CWOCN, Broward General Medical Center, Clinical Nurse Specialist, 1600 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 and Paul Wigoda, MD, Broward General Medical Center, Plastic Surgeon, 1600 S. Andrews Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316.

New materials and devices in wound care can ease the problems of treating patients with massive tissue loss due to Necrotizing Fasciitis. A 44-year-old woman was brought to our hospital with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Shortly, she progressed into shock. Forty-eight hours previously she had undergone outpatient liposuction of the abdomen, waist, hips and thighs. Ecchymosis and tissue necrosis developed to areas subject to liposuction. Wound cultures isolated group A Beta-hemolytic streptococci. Diagnosis: Necrotizing Fasciitis. Patient admitted to surgical intensive care unit. Care consisted of fluid resuscitation, intubation, broad-spectrum antibiotics, debridement and nutritional support. Multiorgan system failure developed and was treated with aggressive medical therapy. Serial debridements performed exposed wound defect of 65 % total body surface. The affected areas involved abdomen, back, waistline, lateral buttocks, suprapubic area, thighs. Wound margins displayed a step-down appearance of two cm. Hypochlorite solution selected to stop growth of pseudomonas and Candida. Patient developed antibiotic induced diarrhea. Fecal Management System employed for fifteen days to divert stool, wound contamination was avoided. Negative Pressure Wounf Therapy was used for one week to promote wound vascularization prior to tissue coverage with two layers of Bilayer Matrix Wound Dressing applied at different stages. These therapies were utilized to “fill in” the concavity effect prior to final closure with split thickness skin grafts. Results: Patient recovered after one hundred sixteen days of acute care. She transitioned to a Rehabilitation Center and was discharged three weeks later fully independent. The cosmetic results were acceptable to the patient. Conclusion: The use of state of the art adjuncts noted provided superior cosmesis and improved patient acceptance of physical outcomes.

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