Necrotising fasciitis is a painful bacterial infection that causes the body’s tissue to break down and die. If you have necrotising fasciitis, you must undergo emergency surgical debridement.
Does necrotising fasciitis hurt?
Necrotising fasciitis is associated with an intense pain at the site of infection. Often there is no obvious cause for this pain, as it is the result of bacteria releasing toxins into the subcutaneous tissue – something which will not produce immediate visible signs.
After a short while, the toxins released by the bacteria will cause the tissue to break down. This will disrupt the blood supply to the area of tissue, creating further damage. As this is happening, the skin will begin to turn dark red in colour, indicating that there is an infection of the body’s deep tissues. As the infection progresses, the skin will turn from dark red to purple/black in colour.
All the while, the individual in question will be experiencing intense pain, along with a fever.
Misdiagnosis of necrotising fasciitis
The three main symptoms of necrotising fasciitis are:
- Severe pain, often with no obvious cause
- Fever
- Skin that is red and hot to touch
These symptoms should prompt concern amongst medical practitioners as they indicate a deep tissue infection. However, the fact that the pain has no obvious source often throws medical practitioners of course, leading to a misdiagnosis.
A misdiagnosis could potentially be devastating as necrotising fasciitis is a very aggressive infection. This means that the patient can dramatically deteriorate within a matter of hours, leaving a very short window of opportunity in which the condition can be successfully treated.
Medical practitioners must not, therefore, delay in diagnosing and treating the illness. Instead, doctors should recognise a patient’s symptoms as being characteristic of a deep tissue infection and carry out further tests to confirm or exclude this suspected diagnosis.
Tests that will help to confirm the presence of necrotising fasciitis include blood and urine tests, a blood pressure test and a swab of the infected area.
Necrotising fasciitis and medical negligence
Unfortunately there are times when medical practitioners fail to diagnose and treat necrotising fasciitis promptly, resulting in serious complications. If the delay was due to substandard medical care, there will be a case of medical negligence. This might apply if doctors had the opportunity to make a diagnosis, yet due to a lack of knowledge or a failure to refer, the condition remained undiagnosed. It might also apply if necrotising fasciitis was confirmed, yet surgical debridement was not performed on an emergency basis.
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