Surgical Treatment of Cutaneous Anthrax

Zhao, Changsong; Zhang, Qiang; Yao, Zhen

doi:10.1590/0037-8682-0062-2019

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 3 publications

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“…This extremely rare complication must be known to clinicians in endemic areas (Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, Middle East, India) as well as outside these areas [ 12 ]. Although surgical intervention in the case of cutaneous anthrax lesions has a related contraindication, as it can cause distant dissemination and sepsis, in cases with compartment syndrome, it is an absolute indication, constituting a major surgical emergency [ 13 ]. It should not be forgotten that, besides “natural” contamination, BA can be one of the most important agents used in bioterrorism in the event of a biological war, as it was used in the United States in 2001 (Klietmann and Ruoff) [ 14 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Upper Limb Compartment Syndrome—An Extremely Rare Life-Threatening Complication of Cutaneous Anthrax

Pertea,

Luca,

Moraru

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

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(1) Background: Cutaneous anthrax is a disease caused by a Gram-positive bacillus, spore-forming Bacillus anthracis (BA). Cutaneous anthrax accounts for 95% of all anthrax cases, with mortality between 10–40% in untreated forms. The most feared complication, which can be life-threatening and is rarely encountered and described in the literature, is compartment syndrome. (2) Methods: We report a series of six cases of cutaneous anthrax from the same endemic area. In two of the cases, the disease was complicated by compartment syndrome. The systematic review was conducted according to systematic review guidelines, and the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science databases were searched for publications from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2023. The keywords used were: “cutaneous anthrax” and “compartment syndrome by cutaneous anthrax”. (3) Results: For compartment syndrome, emergency surgical intervention for decompression was required, along with another three surgeries, with hospitalization between 21 and 23 days. In the systematic review, among the 37 articles, 29 did not contain cases focusing on compartment syndrome of the thoracic limb in cutaneous anthrax. The results were included in a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) flow diagram. (4) Conclusions: Early recognition of the characteristic cutaneous lesions and compartment syndrome with early initiation of antibiotics and urgent surgical treatment is the lifesaving solution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%