HBO and gas gangrene. A case report

• Main Authors: Ferraù, S, Sallusti, R, Lozano Valdes, A, Gonzales, C, Jonsson, M, Gunnlaugsson, G, Gullo, A
• Other Authors: Service of Hyperbaric Medicine, University of Reykjavik City Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Edizioni Minerva Medica 2010
• Subjects: Combined Modality Therapy; Gangrene; Humans; Hyperbaric Oxygenation; Male; Middle Aged; Fossvogur; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/117751

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field A 58-year old man, in a mediocre health condition, was admitted into Landspitallin Fossvogur, the University of Reykjavik City Hospital, Iceland, because of fever, chills, local pain and swelling due to the presence of a big old wound in his left heel. The first clinical appearance showed a gas gangrene of the area. The patient immediately underwent a surgical debridement and a fasciotomy, and antibiotic intravenous therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) were started. During the treatment the patient suffered for a multi-organ failure syndrome (MOFS), was admitted in ICU and survived. A total of 52 HBO sessions were performed and one month since the admission into the hospital the patient received a skin transplant. He achieved a complete restitutio ad integrum after 78 days of hospitalization. Gas gangrene is a fulminating infection caused by the genus of Clostridia. If not treated, it leads to the death of the host. The actual treatment for gas gangrene includes surgery, antibiotics, general resuscitative measures and HBOT.