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Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections

  • Infectious Disease (J Glauser, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Emergency and Hospital Medicine Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

The review discusses necrotizing soft tissue infections, including clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management.

Recent Findings

There has been an effort towards developing scoring systems to aid in the diagnosis of necrotizing soft tissue infections and this article reviews those in addition to their applicability. These scoring systems should primarily be used to aid in diagnosis and are not effective at ruling out necrotizing infections. Recent reviews regarding optimal antibiotics and IVIG are also discussed.

Summary

Necrotizing soft tissue infections are challenging to diagnosis as they often mimic more benign conditions. A high clinical suspicion should be maintained to diagnose this disease process. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and surgical debridement are required for management. The mortality from these infections is high and patients will often be critically ill. Prompt diagnosis, resuscitation, and definitive therapy are keys to improvements in patient morbidity and mortality.

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  1. Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    B. Bryan Graham

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Graham, B.B. Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infections. Curr Emerg Hosp Med Rep 7, 19–25 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40138-019-00179-0

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