Fournier's Gangrene: Medical Negligence
Misdiagnosing fournier's gangrene can leave the patient with permanent scarring and debilitating deformity. If this is due to poor medical management, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
What is fournier's gangrene?
Fournier's gangrene is a specific form of necrotising fasciitis, a soft-tissue infection. Whereas necrotising fasciitis often develops in the limbs or the abdomen, in this case, it is located in the genital region. It more frequently affects men rather than women.
Necrotising fasciitis is a soft-tissue infection which can rapidly cause the death of the body's tissue. Untreated, it can spread, affecting the surrounding areas and eventually the body's life-support system and major organs.
Necrotising fasciitis and fournier's gangrene are medical emergencies and a failure by medical professionals to treat it as such may be regarded as poor-quality care.
The treatment for fournier's gangrene is to have all infected tissue removed. Clearly, in the genital region, such treatment could have severe consequences and lead to a highly-distressing outcome. As well as extensive tissue loss, the patient can be left with unsightly scarring.
If an infection originating in the saddle area spreads into the bowel, the patient's bowel function may be compromised and they may even require the use of a colostomy bag.
Delayed diagnosis
A failure to diagnose, or a misdiagnosis of, Fournier's gangrene can prove devastating to the patient or even fatal. Any suspicion that the patient's symptoms may be the product of a soft-tissue infection should warrant immediate further investigation.
Patients who are suffering with an abscess or pressure sore who are exhibiting symptoms of extreme pain, redness and swelling in the genital area may be developing fournier's gangrene. They may need to undergo emergency surgery.
The longer diagnosis and treatment are delayed, the more tissue the patient is likely to lose and the more damage their body is likely to suffer.
The severity of the infection and the destructive treatment and the impact of severe tissue loss can have a psychological impact as well as a physical one. Necrotising fasciitis patients are likely to need several surgical procedures before the infection is finally halted and may well need extensive periods of time in a high dependency or life support unit.
Speak to a solicitor
If you or a loved one are struggling with the long-term impact of a fournier's gangrene due to a delay in diagnosis and treatment, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation.
Contact Glynns Solicitors to talk to a specialist solicitor about your experience.
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