Necrotising Fasciitis From an Abscess
Carolynn's GP failed to drain a large abscess in her groin, meaning she then developed necrotising fasciitis – an aggressive infection that often leads to extensive debridement surgery.
When Carolynn attended her GP surgery with a lump in her groin, she was diagnosed with a big abscess within the vulva and prescribed antibiotics. She was told to return for a follow-up appointment four days later.
Over that weekend the abscess burst. A foul-smelling liquid oozed out of the abscess, giving off a very offensive in smell. She covered up the wound as advised and kept her appointment.
When Carolynn returned to see her GP she was told that further medical investigation was required, for which she would need to go to the local hospital's gynaecology clinic. She immediately attended hospital where she was examined and admitted to a ward.
Swabs were taken of the abscess area. The following day she was sent to theatre where the abscess was lanced and the wound packed. However, the treatment had little impact on Carolynn's condition and she continued to deteriorate.
Three days later a surgeon attended Carolynn and said she needed to return to theatre so that bigger incisions could be made into the abscess. This was performed later that day, when a large amount of flesh was removed.
She was eventually told that her abscess had become infected with necrotising fasciitis – a very aggressive bacterial infection. She had an incision 7cms deep and about 20-25cms long. Eventually she was discharged home with a vac pump, and after several months the wound healed.
She has been left with a 40cm scar running the length of her left groin, where she has also lost a significant amount of tissue. She continues to suffer from an area of numbness below the scar, along with continual pain within the scar. This restricts the activities of her daily life.
After researching necrotising fasciitis, Carolynn contacted us to ask whether her treatment had been negligently delayed. We believed there were issues regarding the care she received from both her GP and the hospital.
Carolynn suffers from type 2 diabetes. Diabetic patients are more prone to infections, and these infections are more difficult to eradicate. In particular, diabetic patients who are obese are more likely to develop soft tissue infections such as necrotising fasciitis.
Therefore the GP should have taken these risks into consideration and drained the abscess, rather than waiting to see if it would heal. If this action had been taken, it might not have developed into necrotising fasciitis.
Additionally, the hospital delayed in carrying out debridement surgery, which is needed as a matter of urgency in necrotising fasciitis patients.
We helped Carolynn make a claim and she was awarded in excess of £18,000 in compensation.
(Details which might identify our client have been changed.)
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