Necrotising fasciitis must be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. It is therefore vital that medical professionals recognise the symptoms of the condition, as this will prevent a delay, helping to ensure a patient makes a full recovery.
What are the symptoms of necrotising fasciitis?
Necrotising fasciitis is when a certain bacteria enters the body and reproduces. As they multiply, they release a poisonous toxin that kills the tissue and fascia (connective tissue). This infection will cause the following symptoms:-
- Fever;
- Severe pain at the site of infection;
- Skin that is red and hot to touch at the site of infection.
The most important symptom at this stage is the intense pain which has no obvious cause. If there is any injury to the skin (which can be as small as a paper cut) the pain will be totally disproportionate to the injury.
However, these symptoms can confuse medical professionals as they are very similar to other conditions. Necrotising fasciitis is often mistaken for cellulitis, or it may be that doctors cannot make a diagnosis whatsoever.
Nevertheless, necrotising fasciitis will quickly lead to further symptoms which should enable a prompt diagnosis. These symptoms revolve largely around the visual appearance of the skin. As the condition progresses, the infection will cause:-
- The skin to turn from dark red to purple/black in colour;
- Fluid-filled blisters to form on the skin;
- Black scabs.
Additionally a patient will become increasingly unwell and will continue to suffer fever and pain.
When should doctors realise a patient has necrotising fasciitis?
Ideally doctors should recognise that a patient has necrotising fasciitis in the initial stages. Indeed, it should be easy to verify that an infection is present with a blood test, as a patient’s white cell count will be very high. He or she may also have low blood pressure and fever, again indicating that there is some sort of infection. The presence of a pain disproportionate to the injury should then alert medical professionals to the possibility of necrotising fasciitis.
Even if a diagnosis is not made in the very early stages, the problem should be apparent when the skin begins to change colour. This denotes an infection within the tissue and steps should be taken immediately to verify the underlying cause.
Failure to recognise the symptoms of necrotising fasciitis
If doctors fail to make a diagnosis within a timely fashion, despite the fact a patient is presenting all the characteristic symptoms, there could be grounds for a medical negligence claim. If this is something that has affected you or your loved one, get in touch with us to discuss claiming compensation.
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