How to Diagnose Necrotizing Fasciitis

Necrotizing fasciitis, also known as the "flesh eating" bacteria, kills flesh. The bacterium spreads quickly making early diagnoses crucial. Treatment involves both antibiotics and the removal of infected tissue. Necrotizing fasciitis bacteria belongs to group A Streptococcus, although typically both aerobic and anaerobic organisms invade the tissue. These invasions usually occur through any size cut or opening in the skin, sometimes due to bruises, blisters and surgery.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Blood cultures
• Pus analysis
• Tissue biopsies

Clinical Diagnoses

1. Go to a hospital, clinic or local doctor even during the early stages. The infection spreads rapidly. If the disease is left untreated, death typically results.
2. Get diagnostic tests including blood cultures and analysis of pus from the infected tissue.
3. Obtain tissue biopsies. This test remains the best method for confirming necrotizing fasciitis.

Personal Diagnoses

4. Note any growing pain in the area of a skin opening or other trauma. The pain seems more severe than the wound itself and grows within 24 hours.
5. Watch for symptoms similar to flu. This includes dizziness, fever, diarrhea and weakness during the first full day.
6. Notice any dehydration that rapidly sets in. Dehydration begins within 24 hours.
7. Check for swelling and dark markings that begin on the trauma area. This happens in about 3 days. Blisters develop from the spreading markings and fill with dark fluid.
8. Understand the critical condition of necrotizing fasciitis as toxic shock sets in within 5 days. The body no longer fights the infection and blood pressure lowers.

Tips & Warnings

• Children rarely get necrotizing fasciitis.
• The disease is rare and often misdiagnosed in the early stages without biopsies.