A case study of negative pressure wound therapy to manage acute necrotizing fasciitis

Acute necrotizing fasciitis is a devastating infectious process that requires immediate surgical debridement. Intravenous antibiotic treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and wound management are considered the standard of care. Subsequent wound closure is achieved with split-thickness skin grafting, delayed surgical closure, or healing by secondary intention. When a patient refuses additional surgical treatment or is no longer a surgical candidate, as was the case with a patient who presented with acute necrotizing fasciitis caused by Clostridium perfringens in the upper extremity, secondary intention healing is the only treatment option. Following surgery and intravenous antibiotic treatment, her wounds were managed with topical negative pressure wound therapy. No adverse events occurred and the wounds were almost completely healed 63 weeks following surgery. Research to develop evidence-based protocols of care for the closure of these wounds is needed.