Warfarin-induced skin necrosis diagnosed on clinical grounds and treated with maggot debridement therapy.
A patient with a history of deep vein thrombosis presented with painful bruising and blistering on his left leg 7-10 days after warfarin treatment. A complicated 2-month treatment followed, where vasculitis was originally diagnosed from histological findings before the final diagnosis of warfarin-induced skin necrosis (WISN) was made on clinical grounds. Warfarin was stopped, reversed and low molecular weight heparin started but, the lesions had progressed to full thickness necrosis. This was originally treated with conventional surgical debridement before introducing maggot debridement therapy (MDT) in an effort to try to salvage the limb.
Warwick Medical School, Warwick University, Coventry, UK. A.Biscoe@warwick.ac.uk
Anna Louise
AL
Biscoe
Alison
A
Bedlow
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003646:Debridement / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007814:Larva; D008297:Male; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D012867:Skin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D014859:Warfarin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000925:Anticoagulants; D014859:Warfarin