Gas Gangrene in Emergency Medicine Follow-up

Author: Anil Shukla, MD; Chief Editor: Rick Kulkarni, MD more...

Updated: Jun 22, 2009

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Further Inpatient Care
Inpatient & Outpatient Medications
Transfer
Deterrence/Prevention
Complications
Prognosis
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Further Inpatient Care

Urgent surgical debridement may be indicated for gas gangrene. Admit the patient to an ICU with invasive monitoring as necessary.

Inpatient & Outpatient Medications

Inpatient medications for gas gangrene include intravenous antibiotics and analgesics.

Transfer

Transfer the patient if appropriate surgical specialist and ICU setting are unavailable.

Deterrence/Prevention

Appropriate wound care at time of injury (eg, debridement of crushed or dead tissue, copious irrigation) may deter infection.

Prophylactic antibiotics may prevent subsequent infection in selected circumstances.

Complications

Gas gangrene may progress rapidly; patients often become septic.

Prognosis

Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of gas gangrene are the keys to decreasing mortality.

Contributor Information and Disclosures

Author

Anil Shukla, MD Staff Physician, Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Carlo L Rosen, MD Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Program Director, Vice Chair for Education, Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency program

Carlo L Rosen, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Jason K Wong, MD Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson Regional Medical Center

Jason K Wong, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Michelle Ervin, MD Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Howard University Hospital

Michelle Ervin, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, National Medical Association, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

Barry J Sheridan, DO Chief, Department of Emergency Medical Services, Brooke Army Medical Center

Barry J Sheridan, DO is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

John D Halamka, MD, MS Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Chief Information Officer, CareGroup Healthcare System and Harvard Medical School; Attending Physician, Division of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

John D Halamka, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Rick Kulkarni, MD

Rick Kulkarni, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, American Medical Association, American Medical Informatics Association, Phi Beta Kappa, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine

Disclosure: WebMD Salary Employment

References

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A patient developed gas gangrene after injecting cocaine. Clostridium septicum was isolated in both blood and wound cultures.

Left lower extremity in a 56-year-old patient with alcoholism who was found comatose after binge drinking. Surgical drainage was performed to treat the pyomyositis-related, large, non–foul-smelling (sweetish) bullae. Gram staining showed the presence of gram-positive rods. Cultures revealed Clostridium perfringens. The diagnosis was clostridial myonecrosis.

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