Clinical outcomes of Fournier's gangrene from a tertiary hospital

Abstract

Fournier's gangrene is a progressive polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis, caused by aerobic and anaerobic organisms. It causes an endarteritis obliterans leading to vessel thrombosis and subsequent cutaneous and subcutaneous necrosis of the perineal region. OBJECTIVE: It was to describe the clinical outcomes of Fournier's gangrene treated at the Hospital Santa Marcelina, São Paulo (SP), Brazil. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted at the Hospital Santa Marcelina, in São Paulo (SP), Brazil, with patients with necrotizing fasciitis from September 2008 to March 2011. RESULTS: We included 13 patients, most were males, and the mean age was 51.8 years old. Five of them presented with systemic inflammatory response syndrome, only two had no comorbidities and 23% were obese. The most prevalent etiologic agent was E. coli, and the most common antibiotic regimen consisted of a combination of metronidazole with ciprofloxacin. The average number of surgical procedures performed by patient was 2.07, and 7 patients (53.8%) underwent colostomy formation. The mortality rate was 30.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Fournier's gangrene is a severe disease, with high mortality rates. The physician should suspect its diagnosis early and have an aggressive treatment approach to achieve better outcomes.