title: Necrotising infections of soft tissues--a clinical profile.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the clinical profile and outcome of patients with necrotising soft-tissue infections.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Teaching hospital, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  75 patients (54 male and 21 female), mean age 40 years (range 8 months-85 years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were uniformly managed by initial resuscitation, debridement, topical wound care, systemic antibiotics, and enteral hyperalimentation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aetiology of the infections included major and minor trauma, minor skin infections and postoperative infections. 22 patients were diabetic. The extremities were involved in 57 patients, the trunk in 26 and the perineum in 21. 68 presented with local tenderness (91%), 74 with oedema (99%), 54 with erythema (72%), 55 with ulceration (73%), and 54 with a purulent or serous discharge (72%). beta-haemolytic streptococci were isolated from only 10 patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the most common bacteria isolated (n = 30, 46%) followed by Bacteroides fragilis and anaerobic cocci (n = 22, 34% each). Cultures grew fungi in 9 patients. 20 patients died giving a mortality of 27%. Jaundice and serum albumin were the only factors to have a significant influence on mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Necrotising soft tissue infections are potentially fatal. Early recognition and prompt aggressive debridement are the keys to successful management.
authors.affiliation: gsinghpgi@netkracker.com
authors.forename: Gurpreet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Sunil K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sinha
authors.forename: Shailesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adhikary
authors.forename: K Srinivas
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.forename: Pallab
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Satish K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Khanna
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003646:Debridement; D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D018934:Fournier Gangrene / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*