Rare Fleshing Eating Bacteraia

With the Georgia graduate student, making headlines with a rare bacterial infection, I felt in this week's blog I would discuss necrotizing fascitis.  This type of infection destroys muscles, skin, and underlying tissue. The word "necrotizing" refers to something that causes body tissue to die.

Many different types of bacteria can cause this infection. A very severe and usually deadly form of necrotizing soft tissue infection is due to Streptococcus pyogenes, which is sometimes called "flesh-eating bacteria."

Necrotizing soft tissue infection develops when the bacteria enters the body, usually through a minor cut or scrape. The bacteria begins to grow and release harmful substances (toxins) that kill tissue and affect blood flow to the area. As the tissue dies, the bacteria enters the blood and rapidly spreads throughout the body.

Symptoms include:

• Small, red, painful lump or bump on the skin
• Changes to a very painful bruise-like area and grows rapidly, sometimes in less than an hour
• The center may become black and die
• The skin may break open and ooze fluid

Other symptoms can include:

• Feeling ill
• Fever
• Sweating
• Chills
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Shock

Your doctor may diagnose this condition by looking at your skin. You may be diagnosed in an operating room by a surgeon. Tests that may be done include:

• CT scan
• Blood tests
• Skin tissue biopsy

Immediate treatment is needed to prevent death. Treatment includes:

• Powerful, broad-spectrum antibiotics given immediately through a vein (IV)
• Surgery to drain the sore and remove dead tissue
• Special medicines called donor immunoglobulins (antibodies) to help fight the infection in some cases

Other treatments may include:

• Skin grafts after the infection goes away to help your skin heal and look better
• Amputation if the disease spreads through an arm or leg
• 100% oxygen at high pressure (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) for certain types of bacterial infections

How well you do depends on:

• Your overall health (especially if you have diabetes)
• How fast you were diagnosed and how quickly you received treatment
• The type of bacteria causing the infection
• How quickly the infection spreads
• How well treatment works

This disease commonly causes scarring and skin deformity.
Death can occur rapidly without proper treatment.

If you or someone you know, have a soft tissue infection, please go to the ER immediately and/or call our office, 440-946-5858, for an appointment.

Hammertoe Correctional Surgery

Many people seek the help of their doctor in hopes of fixing their hammertoes. It is common for podiatrists to receive patients who want to do something about their “ugly toes.” In truth, hammertoes can also be quite uncomfortable when they lead to such thing as corns, calluses, and swelling. The good news is surgery can be performed if necessary.

Depending on what stage the deformity is in, a hammertoe can be either flexible, semi-rigid and/or rigid. When they become painful, normally, after they have the reached the rigid state, hammertoe surgery will be necessary to alleviate the problem.

Different Types of Hammertoe Surgery

Surgeries to correct hammertoes do not require an overnight stay at a hospital. The procedure can be done as an out-patient, where you go home after completion of the procedure. Prior to the procedure, local anesthetic and/or mild sedation is administered to allow you to sleep through the procedure. The surgery entails a small incision on the top of the toe and either a soft tissue correction, digital arthroplasty (removal of a small piece of bone), and/or digital arthrodesis (joint fusion).

Soft tissue corrective surgery redirects the tendons and joint capsule of your toe which will correct the position.

 Digital arthroplasty involves correcting the soft tissue and removing a piece of bone in order to straighten the toe.

Digital arthrodesis techniques involved fusing two bones together in order to straighten the toe.

Often hammertoe surgery requires a mental wire or other implant to be inserted into the toe that will hold it into place while it heals. The end result will be a straightened toe.

How Long Does it Take to Recover from Hammertoe Surgery?

Recovery is patient dependent and compliance dependent, on average  most people wear a surgical shoe for approximately 3 weeks.