Necrotizing Fasciitis: A Rare Complication of Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis

Necrotizing pancreatitis occurs in 10 to 25% of patients requiring hospital admission for acute pancreatitis and carries a high mortality rate. Necrotizing pancreatitis can cause a spectrum of complications. However, we report an extremely rare complication of necrotizing pancreatitis: necrotizing fasciitis of the abdominal wall. A 56-year-old male patient presented to our center with discoloration of skin over left flank of 15 days duration and pus discharge from it since three days. Two months back he was managed at a private hospital as a case of acute necrotizing pancreatitis and was discharged after one week of inpatient treatment. After discharge patient continued to have malaise and weakness but was able to do his routine day to day activity. On presentation at our hospital, patient was in septic shock and was taken emergently to operating theatre for debridement. However, later, the patient succumbed to his illness. Necrotizing fasciitis is an extremely uncommon complication of necrotizing pancreatitis and has a fulminant course. Timely detection and debridement can avert a potential mortality.