A Survived Case of Nonclostridial Gas Gangrene in a Diabetic Patient

Abstract

The usual causative organisms in gas gangrene are clostridial species, while nonclostridial gas gangrene is infrequently reported. A variety of other organisms including Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, aerobic Streptococcus, Proteus, Bacteroides, and Klebsiella species may cause infection in which gas is demonstrable, particularly in patients with diabetes mellitus. It is important to familiarize ourselves with these nonclostridial crepitant infections, which are often confused with clostridial myonecrosis. The medical and surgical management is substantially different between clostridial and non-clostridial gas gangrene. We present a case of diabetes with nonclostridial (klebisella pneumoniae) gas gangrene of the left thigh. Multiple debridement and aggressive antibiotics were used to rescue the patient. Eventually, split thickness skin grafting was performed to cover the wound. The patient had a good recovery after ten weeks of admission.