If necrotising fasciitis is treated in time, it can be successfully cured. However, if there is a delay in treatment, it can be fatal.
Treating necrotising fasciitis
Necrotising fasciitis is a bacterial infection that spreads very quickly, creating a large area of dead tissue within a matter of days. Due to the speed at which the infection takes hold, time is of the essence when it comes to treatment.
Antibiotics must be administered as soon as a tissue infection is suspected. Once a diagnosis has been made, surgical debridement to remove the dead tissue must be carried out on an emergency basis.
Surgery is the only way to effectively cure necrotising fasciitis, as it is the only way to eradicate the body of bacteria. It is vital that all the dead tissue is excised, and to achieve this more than one operation may be needed.
With such treatment, necrotising fasciitis can be cured.
Delayed treatment
Nevertheless, this treatment will only be successful if provided in the early stages of the disease.
This is because once the necrotising fasciitis bacteria have been inside the body for a couple of days, they will have spread across a large area of tissue. This will result in a significant amount of dead tissue/muscle and a huge open wound.
Once an extensive area of tissue has become necrotic, it will become increasingly dangerous to remove and a patient simply may not survive effects of the operation. Furthermore, it is very likely that in the later stages the infection will spread to the blood, leading to septic shock and organ failure.
Therefore necrotising fasciitis can only be cured if treatment is provided quickly enough. If there is a delay, it can be fatal.
Are doctors to blame for a delay?
If there is a delay in treatment, questions must be raised as to whether or not there was a substandard level of care.
If a patient did not seek medical attention in time – perhaps believing they were suffering from a more minor condition such as flu – then medical professionals cannot be to blame.
Unfortunately, however, there are occasions when doctors simply fail to recognise the signs of necrotising fasciitis, leaving a patient without the emergency care they so desperately need. If this causes a patient to suffer injuries that would otherwise have been avoided with earlier treatment, there will be grounds for a claim. Contact us today to find out more.
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