31-year-old injection drug user with massive skin necrosis and shock.
Massive tissue necrosis and septic shock have recently been reported in a series of injection drug users in Scotland, England and Ireland. We report the first case outside the UK meeting the criteria for this new entity (septic shock without fever in an injection drug user, local and systemic inflammation, rhabdomyolysis and tissue necrosis at the injection site). Following surgical treatment and antibiotic treatment, the patient was cured and is currently well.
Hengge
Ulrich R
UR
Department of Dermatology, University of Essen, Germany. ulrich.hengge@uni-essen.de
Beiderlinden
Martin
M
Otterbach
Friedrich
F
Groeben
Harald
H
Nast-Kolb
Dieter
D
Mehnert
Wolfgang H
WH
Peters
Jürgen
J
Schmid
Kurt W
KW
D000328:Adult; D003015:Clostridium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006556:Heroin Dependence / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg; D009336:Necrosis; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology*; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*