Necrotising fasciitis is a soft tissue infection associated with high mortality rates. In this article we explore necrotising fasciitis and the chances of survival in more detail, explaining why it can cause death and what can be done to improve the prognosis.
Chances of survival after necrotising fasciitis
If treatment for necrotising fasciitis is not provided, the mortality rate is 100%. The patient simply cannot fight off the infection alone. Surgical debridement is needed if the patient is going to have any chance of surviving.
Thankfully surgery improves the prognosis greatly, giving a 60-80% chance of survival. However, this still leaves a 20-40% mortality rate, even if surgery is carried out.
How to improve the prognosis
The 60-80% of patients who do survive necrotising fasciitis can attribute the successful outcome to timely treatment.
Indeed, necrotising fasciitis is incredibly fast moving. It does not take long for the infection to spread to the blood, after which the patient will go into septic shock. This is when the blood pressure drops to such a low level that the blood cannot easily reach the organs. This can be fatal.
Surgery must be conducted before a patient reaches this stage, or there may be a poor outcome. Even if a patient does survive, a larger area of tissue will have to be removed due to the spread of infection. This can significantly reduce long-term function as an amputation or reconstruction may be needed.
Therefore the best way to improve a patient’s chances of survival are to diagnose and treat the condition as quickly as possible. This will also limit the amount of tissue that ultimately has to be removed, improving the final outcome.
Necrotising fasciitis death
Sadly there are times when a patient dies of necrotising fasciitis despite a good standard of medical care. It is an aggressive infection and not all patient will survive, even with timely treatment. This is especially true of patients who are elderly and/or have a weak immune system.
Nevertheless, there are also occasions when a necrotising fasciitis death happens because of delays in medical care. For instance, medical practitioners may fail to diagnose the condition in a reasonable amount of time, or fail to treat the condition with the appropriate urgency.
If a patient dies of necrotising fasciitis because of medical failings, the bereaved family could be entitled to sue the clinician or hospital responsible. Contact us today to find out more.
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