If necrotising fasciitis is not treated promptly and thoroughly, the outcome for the patient can be devastating and, in many cases, fatal. It can also lead to significant compensation claims for substandard care.
Identifying necrotising fasciitis
If there is any suggestion that a patient might be developing necrotising fasciitis, an urgent response is vital to give the patient the best chance of survival and a positive outcome.
Thankfully, necrotising fasciitis is a pretty rare illness, but, for those who develop it, treatment by knowledgeable and competent medical professionals is absolutely imperative.
Symptoms of necrotising fasciitis
A patient who is starting to develop necrotising fasciitis is likely to exhibit the following signs and symptoms:
- Extreme, disproportionate pain, possibly in the area of a cut or wound
- Redness, tenderness and swelling in the infected area
- A fast heartbeat
- A high temperature
As the patient deteriorates, the infection will start to impact on their life support systems, reducing the functioning of major organs and putting the patient’s life at risk. Their blood pressure may start to fall and their breathing rate increase as well as feelings of nausea and confusion.
Diagnosis and referral
The above symptoms should identify the patient as a medical emergency and the medical professional should respond appropriately.
However, necrotising fasciitis can be confused with other conditions such as cellulitis. Consequently, if the medical professional has any doubts as to diagnosis, seeking a second opinion and erring on the side of caution may well save the patient’s life.
Medical Responses
Necrotising fasciitis can be caused by an array of bacteria and it is desirable for the patient’s medical professionals to discover which particular pathogen(s) are involved.
However, it seems advisable that emergency treatment of the infection should not be delayed whilst waiting for test results. Such a delay could allow the patient to suffer significant and life-threatening deterioration in their condition.
Antibiotics
It is recommended that patients with necrotising fasciitis should be given broad-spectrum antibiotics immediately on suspicion of the illness. This treatment can be amended at a later stage once the specific pathogen has been identified although sometimes this proves not to be possible.
However, antibiotics alone will not stop the infection.
Debridement
The only way to halt the rapid spread of the infection through the body is with potentially traumatic surgery.
If infected tissue remains within the deep soft tissue of the body, the infection will continue to spread at up to two to three centimetres per hour. To prevent this, all infected tissue must be removed. This procedure is called debridement and will inevitably cause damage to the patient’s body.
However, without this treatment, it is highly likely that the infection will continue to spread, the patient’s major organs will cease to function and the patient will die.
Most patients have to undergo several procedures of debridement until all infected tissue has been removed.
Life-support
The patient’s body will be under considerable strain both from the effects of the infection and from the impact of the debridement surgery. A patient with necrotising fasciitis is likely, therefore, to require life-support in intensive care for some considerable time whilst they cope with and, hopefully, recover from the illness.
Medical Negligence
If signs of necrotising fasciitis are ignored or misdiagnosed by a medical professional leading to a poorer outcome for the patient, the patient may be considered to have been the victim of medical negligence.
Necrotising fasciitis is a devastating disease and if you have suffered unnecessarily due to the incompetence of a medical practitioner, you may wish to consider making a claim for compensation for your suffering.
Contact us to talk to an experienced medical negligence solicitor.
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