The Surgical Treatment of Gangrenous Skin Diseases : Surgical Debridment and Skin Graft / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

Gangrenous skin disease is characterized by rapidly progressive necrosis of the subcutaneoua tissue. It is mainly caused by Group A b-hemolytic Streptococcus. We are now reporting three cases of gangrenous skin diseases including gangrene due to Vibrio vulnificus, streptococcal gangrene, and ecthyma gangrenosum. Their treatment was as follows early surgical debridment, the correction of fluidelectrolyte depletion, and antibiotics. When fresh granulation tissues were seen on the wound base, we performed so called Island skin graft. 3 to 5 weeks later, there were good cosmetic and functional results. These results reveals that among several curative measures of gangrenous skin diseases early surgical debridment is the most important one. We belive many dermatologists should be concerned about skin surgery progressively.