A woman has recently died from necrotising fasciitis, a rare condition often dubbed ‘the flesh-eating disease’.
Necrotising fasciitis – the flesh-eating disease
According to Public Health England, there are 500 cases of necrotising fasciitis in the UK every year. It is therefore a rare condition, although it is one that medical professionals must be aware of it serious complications are to be avoided.
This is because necrotising fasciitis is an extremely aggressive bacterial infection. Once inside the body, the bacteria that cause necrotising fasciitis multiply at a rapid rate, releasing a poisonous toxin as they do so.
This chemical causes the body’s tissue to break down and die, making it appear as though the bacteria are actually eating the flesh. It is for this reason the condition is often called the flesh-eating disease.
If the bacteria are not stopped with medical intervention, they will continue to reproduce, causing more and more tissue to die. This is called tissue necrosis and will lead to an open wound. The longer treatment is withheld, the large the open wound will be.
Necrotising fasciitis fatality
If treatment is not provided in the early stages, necrotising fasciitis can have devastating complications. Along with a large open wound, it is possible that the bacteria will get into the bloodstream. This is called sepsis.
Sepsis will cause the body’s immune system to overreact, leading to inflammation across the body. A patient will then become critically unwell, and may go on to suffer septic shock and organ failure. Ultimately these complications can prove to be fatal.
This tragic set of events recently unfolded in Stoke Mandeville hospital where a 32 year old woman died of necrotising fasciitis. The mother of one suddenly developed a severe pain in her shoulder and was told by doctors that she had a frozen shoulder.
Just four days later the pain was so excruciating that she was rushed to A&E. It was then that doctors discovered she had necrotising fasciitis. Sadly she died during surgery to remove the necrotic tissue.
Delayed diagnosis of necrotising fasciitis
In the case described above, the bereaved family was told that nothing more could have been done. However, there are cases in which a fatality or serious complications could have avoided with earlier medical intervention.
Often medical professionals fail to diagnose necrotising fasciitis in the early stages, even though a patient is displaying the typical symptoms. This delay in treatment will allow the bacteria to spread, making a patient critically unwell.
If it is found an earlier diagnosis could have been made by doctors and this would have prevented further injury, there will be grounds for a medical negligence compensation claim.
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