When necrotising fasciitis affects the intestines, a patient may be left with an ileostomy. If this has happened to you, you need to consider whether you have been the victim of medical negligence.
What is an ileostomy?
An ileostomy is when the small intestine is re-directed through a hole in the abdomen. This hole is called a stoma. An ileostomy bag is placed over the stoma and this collects faeces. The bag will need to be emptied at regular intervals.
A patient will need an ileostomy if their small or large intestine (colon) is damaged in some way, meaning waste products cannot pass the whole length of the digestive system. Reasons why the intestines may be damaged include:
- Chronic inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis
- Bowel cancer, where part of the bowel has had to be removed
- Severe infection, such as necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis in the bowel
Necrotising fasciitis is a bacterial infection of the subcutaneous tissues. It can arise in any area of the body, including in the tissues surrounding the bowel and lower abdomen.
One way in which the infection might occur in this region is if a patient undergoes bowel surgery. If the wound subsequently leaks, the area can become infected. In rare cases the infection will be necrotising fasciitis.
Necrotising fasciitis is a very aggressive infection and may go on to spread across the upper and lower abdomen, all the way down to the thigh.
Bowel damage from necrotising fasciitis
The bacteria which cause necrotising fasciitis reproduce alarmingly quickly. As they do this, they release a chemical which causes the nearby tissues to breakdown. As the bacteria continue to reproduce, the infection will spread to an ever-growing area and more tissue will breakdown and die.
Tissue necrosis happens at a rapid rate, meaning any tissue and organs that are infected will soon suffer extensive damage. If the bowel is indeed affected, it will soon become so damaged that it cannot be saved with medical treatment. The only option will therefore to be to cut away the dead tissue and perform an ileostomy.
Ileostomy due to delayed treatment
As mentioned above, tissue necrosis can happen very quickly. If a patient does not seek medical help in time, it may be that the bowel cannot be saved as too much damage has already been done. However, if a patient seeks medical help but clinicians fail to diagnose the illness and/or fail to provide timely treatment, the patient will have been harmed by substandard medical care.
If you have been left with a permanent ileostomy because of necrotising fasciitis and you believe medical error is to blame, please contact us today.
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