Management of a giant carbuncle on the posterior trunk with excision and grafting

Carbuncle is a painful subcutaneous mass of interconnected infected hair follicles with multiple discharging sinuses. It has predisposition in conditions like diabetes, immune-compromised states, chronic skin diseases etc. The authors present a case of a 67 year old diabetic male admitted in July 2020 at Akbar Niazi Teaching Hospital (ANTH) Islamabad, with a giant carbuncle on his back. Due to its large size, systemic co-morbidity, and increased risk of complications in surgical treatment, a multi-disciplinary team approach was employed. Both general and plastic surgeons were involved, who performed excision and soft tissue coverage respectively. The aim of the surgical intervention methods, like wide excision and debridement, application of vacuum assisted wound closure (VAC), and skin grafting was to minimise the healing time and risk of development of post-operative infection. The patient was surgically managed and sent home in a good condition.