Clostridial phlegmona of the abdominal wall in an obese patient with Crohn's disease

Abstract

Clostridial infection represents a serious chapter in the field of surgery. Infections of soft tissue caused by clostridial infection often end in death despite the early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Authors present a case history of a young overweight patient, immunologically compromised, after a recent biological treatment for Crohn's disease. The patient developed extensive clostridial cellulitis of the abdominal wall as well as of the proximal part of her lower limb following a banal skin wound.

Despite resuscitation and surgical care, the patient died. When treating soft tissue infections, it is particularly important to consider the possibility of an anaerobe infection.

Keywords

• clostridial cellulitis
• gas gangrene
• Clostridium ramosum
• Clostridium tertium