Aimee Copeland, a 24-year-old grad student, is currently in the hospital battling deadly flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis.
A few weeks ago, Copeland cut open her leg after falling off a homemade zipline. The wound was initially closed with 22 staples, but grew worse and worse until Copeland had to be hospitalized. She was soon after diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, and has since had most of her left leg amputated to stop the disease from spreading. She will likely lose her fingers and part of her other leg as well.
Necrotizing fasciitis is a fast acting and deadly bacteria that attacks the deeper layers of the skin, giving it the moniker “flesh-eating bacteria.” Necrotizing fasciitis is quite rare, but is fatal if not treated quickly with aggressive antibiotics and surgery.
Dr. Silverman Comments
Thankfully I’ve only had to deal with necrotizing faciitis once.
I was consulted on a patient in the hospital with severe leg pain and other flu-like symptoms. There was a crunchy painful sound when I squeezed the patient’s leg. An MRI showed infection within the fascial planes. In my training, I had seen a handful of patients with varying forms of this disease, but in all my years of private practice I had not yet needed to treat it. In Orthopedics there are few true emergencies. Here are some examples:
- Compartment Syndrome
- Fractures or Dislocations with Arterial Injuries
- Necrotizing Fasciitis
Once I recognized the necrotizing fasciitis I called the OR and bumped every doctor ahead of me. This patient needed surgery immediately.
As they wheeled the patient back, I called Hennepin County’s Trauma team and asked for emergent communication with the on-call surgeon. I opened the patient’s leg through long incisions and excised the leg diseased fascia. I applied a wound vac to the open wounds to help drain the infection. During surgery, I talked to the doctor at Hennepin County Medical Center and explained the case. HCMC has a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and doctors familiar with this condition.
As I finished the surgery, the Lifeflight Helecopter landed at the hospital and whisked the patient away. I felt charged and excited like I had just won the battle but the victory was hollow. I knew I would never see this patient again, and that they would be lucky to keep the leg, much less live through this disease. I never received follow up on the patient from the doctors or family. I could only take solace in the words of the surgeon to whom I spoke on the phone, “You are doing everything right.”
Related Sources:
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