Necrotising fasciitis can be a difficult illness to diagnose. Its symptoms can be misinterpreted as a different condition such as cellulitis. At the same time, however, an early diagnosis is highly desirable as the condition can be fatal. Therefore, all factors which might influence a diagnosis need to be taken into account.
Symptoms of necrotising fasciitis
Usually, necrotising fasciitis is a result of the invasion of the deep, soft tissue of the body by bacteria which has entered the body through an incision in the skin.
In these circumstances, the usual symptoms could include the following:
- A wound to the skin which might have allowed the bacteria access to the inside of the body such as a graze, cut, injection site or surgical incision.
- Redness, tenderness and swelling in the region of the wound
- Intense pain in the region of the wound
- Possible symptoms of infection such as fever
Occasionally, the infection can develop as a result of an internal condition such as a perforated abscess in the bowel and the presenting symptoms might differ somewhat.
Difficulty of diagnosis
Unfortunately, the above symptoms might also suggest a variety of others underlying causes such as deep vein thrombosis or cellulitis which are not as severe or as imminent in their threat to life as necrotising fasciitis.
However, some people are more likely to develop necrotising fasciitis and, due to life-threatening nature of the condition, these risk factors need to be considered when attempting to reach a diagnosis.
Risk factors to be considered
- Older people are more likely to develop necrotising fasciitis than young people
- People who already have a diagnosis of diabetes are more likely to suffer with the condition
- People who have pre-existing problems with the liver, kidneys or heart are also more susceptible to necrotising fasciitis
- People who have recently undergone surgery and who therefore have an incision to the skin are susceptible to the invasion of bacteria
- People who have a weakened immune system due perhaps to another medical condition or treatment for another condition
- People who are obese are more susceptible to the illness too.
Failure to diagnose
A delay in diagnosis or a complete failure to diagnose necrotising fasciitis can, at worst, be fatal or, at best, produce a dramatically poorer long-term outcome for the patient. They may suffer more internal damage due to the infection and require considerably more surgical debridement in order to halt its progress. The long-term impact can be both physically and psychologically devastating and debilitating.
Medical negligence
If the symptoms of necrotising fasciitis have not led to a prompt diagnosis due to a misinterpretation of the signs, the relevant medical professional may be considered to have acted negligently.
Contact us to talk to a specialist medical negligence solicitor about the possibility of making a claim for compensation.
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