Clinical Profile and Outcome of Patients Suffering from Soft Tissue Infection in Lower Limb Disease in the Department of Surgery in Tertiary Care Center

Abstract

Background

Patients with lower limb diseases are commonly seen in surgical wards 7% to 10% of hospitalized patients are affected by soft tissue infections in the United States. The most common cause of soft tissue infections is Staphylococcus aureus.^[1] Frequently these patients are diabetic, immune compromised, etc. Establishing the diagnosis of Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection (NSTI) can be the main challenge in treating patients with NSTI, and knowledge of all available tools is the key for early and accurate diagnosis^[2]

The skin is the largest organ of the body and, with the underlying soft tissue, which includes the fat layers, fascia and muscle, represents the majority of the tissue in the body. It acts as a tough, flexible, structural barrier to invasion.^[3] Failure to do so result in an extremely high mortality rate (80 to 100%), and even with rapid recognition and intervention, current mortality rates remain approximately 30 to 50%.^[4]