A severe complication of muscle transfer: clostridial myonecrosis

Clostridial myonecrosis is most often seen in settings of trauma, surgery, malignancy, and other underlying immunocompromised conditions. Since 1953 cases of gas gangrene have been reported in orthopaedic patients including open fractures, closed fractures, and orthopaedic surgeries. We present a case of 55-year-old obese woman who developed rapidly progressive gas gangrene in her right leg accompanied by tibial plateau fracture without skin lacerations. She was diagnosed with clostridial myonecrosis and above-the-knee amputation was carried out. This patient made full recovery within three weeks of the initial episode. We identified a total of 50 cases of gas gangrene in orthopaedic patients. Several factors, if available, were analyzed for each case: age, cause of injury, fracture location, pathogen, and outcome. Based on our case report and the literature review, emergency clinicians should be aware of this severe and potentially fatal infectious disease and should not delay treatment or prompt orthopedic surgery consultation.

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Limb salvage after gas gangrene: a case report and review of the literature

Aggelidakis

Lasithiotakis

Topalidou

et al. 2011

World J Emerg Surg

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Gas gangrene is a necrotic infection of soft tissue associated with high mortality, often necessitating amputation in order to control the infection. Herein we present a case of gas gangrene of the arm in an intravenous drug user with a history of intramuscular injections with normal saline in the shoulder used to provoke pain for recovery after drug induced coma. The patient was early treated with surgery and antibiotics rendering possible the preservation of the limb and some of its function. Additionally, a review of the literature regarding case reports of limb salvage after gas gangrene is presented.

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A severe complication of muscle transfer: clostridial myonecrosis

Cited by 3 publications

References 14 publications

Flap coverage for necrotising soft tissue infections: A systematic review

Flap coverage for necrotising soft tissue infections: A systematic review

Gas Gangrene in Orthopaedic Patients

Limb salvage after gas gangrene: a case report and review of the literature

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