Necrotising fasciitis and group A streptococcus toxic shock-like syndrome in pregnancy: treatment with plasmapheresis and immunoglobulin.
A 30-year-old woman at 25 weeks gestation presented to the labour ward complaining of abdominal pain and a painful bruise in her right groin. Over the course of several hours, she developed rapidly spreading necrotising fasciitis of the right thigh. She required emergency radical debridement of the thigh and caesarean delivery of a dead fetus. She was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with septic shock, where she received ventilatory and inotropic support. Streptococcus pyogenes was isolated from the infected tissue and a diagnosis of group A streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (GAS TS-LS) was confirmed. Following acute and rapid haemodynamic deterioration, plasmapheresis was given for 6 days, after which the patient's general condition improved and vasoconstrictor requirement was significantly reduced. Subsequently, immunoglobulin was given intravenously for thrombocytopenia, following which the platelet count steadily improved. Despite the development of acute renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome and a left hemiplegia, the patient made a remarkable recovery. She was later transferred to a plastic surgical unit for split skin-grafting. The importance of early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of GAS TS-LS is emphasized and the place of plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in this condition is discussed.
Welsh School of Anaesthesia, Wales, UK. Mark.Simmonds@tesco.net
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