Necrotizing cellulitis
Background
- Pts are often much less toxic compared with nec fasc/nec myo
- Two types:
- Anaerobic infection (clostridial and nonclostridial)
- Meleney's synergistic gangrene
- Rare infection that occurs in postop pts
- Characterized by slowly expanding indolent ulceration that is confined to superficial fascia
- Results from synergistic interaction between S. aureus and microaerophilic streptococci
Risk Factors
- Trauma
- Surgical contamination
- Spread of infection from bowel to perineum, abdominal wall, or lower extremities
Clinical Features
- Thin, dark, sometimes foul-smelling wound drainage (often containing fat globules)
- Tissue gas formation (crepitus)
Differential Diagnosis
Workup
Management
- Same as Necrotizing Fasciitis