Introduction. Nonclostridial gas-forming soft tissue infections (NGSTI) are
rare, rapid progressive infections that are caracterized by high mortality
and high proportion of amputations. Surgical debridement is crucial in
therapy and it results in complex wounds that need to be closed to prevent
secondary morbidity. Case report. Herein we present a case of NGSTI in a
68-year-old patient with diabetes mellitus with acute thrombosis of
popliteal artery aneurysm and radiological signs of gas in his right leg and
in urine bladder wall. Infection was caused by gas-forming strain of
Escherichia coli. The patient was early treated with femoral amputation and
antibiotics. A vacuum asistet closure (VAC) treatment has been applied.
Administered VAC therapy resulted in primary wound closure without
complications 17 days after surgery. Conclusion. Negative pressure increase
wound fluid removal and infection clerance while, also, increases wound
contraction and aproximation of skin flaps. VAC therapy can be good
adjunctive treatment for closure of large open wounds for the patients with
NGSTI to avoid extensive reconstructive surgery.
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