Fournier's Gangrene as a Possible Surgical Complication of COVID-19: Two Case Reports and Literature Review

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rare form of necrotizing fasciitis affecting the perineal, perianal, or genital areas. The infection is usually seen in diabetic, alcoholic, or immunosuppressed patients. Urgent debridement and broad-spectrum antibiotics are the first-line therapy, where in some cases soft tissue reconstruction is required. We report two patients who developed FG during COVID-19 infection. None of the patients had a history of diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, or immune deficiency. The only reported health condition was COVID-19 infection. Emergent debridement and elective reconstruction were performed for both of the patients. High index of suspicion is required during the examination of the perineum and the genitalia of suspected patients with COVID-19 infection for early diagnosis and prevention of further complications. Larger studies are required to indicate the exact incidence of FG in patients with COVID 19 infection.

Topical steroid menace: A case series of severe debilitating infections during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: Topical corticosteroids is a boon and also a bane in treating chronic skin conditions. The risk of cutaneous infections due to topical steroids increases with their potency, dose, and duration of treatment. Herein, we present a case series of severe debilitating infections secondary to topical steroid abuse. Materials and Methods: We came across five cases of severe skin infection following the prolonged application of topical steroids. These cases gave a history of the use of steroid creams for persistent skin conditions and the inability to visit the hospital due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. Observations: We came across two cases of crusted scabies, two cases of Fournier's gangrene, and a case of erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica. These cases had been using topical steroids for a prolonged period for other dermatological conditions. Conclusion: We propose that, as crusted scabies and erosio interdigitalis blastomycetica mimic various other papulosquamous disorders, a KOH examination is a diagnostic tool. Topical steroid abuse is one of the predisposing factors for Fournier's gangrene. [ FROM AUTHOR]

Management of Fournier's Gangrene in a COVID-19 Patient: Challenges and Dilemmas.

Fournier's gangrene is a urologic emergency manifested as an aggressive form of necrotizing fasciitis. Co-infection of Fournier's gangrene with COVID-19 might have catastrophic sequelae. We report a case of a 69-year-old male patient, unvaccinated against coronavirus, was obese, and with type 2 diabetes diagnosed with Fournier's gangrene. Apart from administration of piperacillin/tazobactam and clindamycin, the patient underwent surgical debridement four hours after his presentation. Postoperatively, the PCR test for COVID-19 was proved to be positive. The patients develop septic shock necessitating the delivery of dopamine, supplemental oxygen, and thromboprophylaxis. On the seventh postoperative day, left testicular ischemia was developed and ipsilateral orchiectomy was performed. After his full recovery from an in-hospital infection by Acinetobacter baumannii, the patient was transferred to the plastic surgery department. The prompt surgical debridement has likely counterbalanced the health risk originated from COVID-19 infection, contributing to the patient's full recovery. Testicular ischemia is a very rare condition in necrotizing fasciitis of the genital and perineal space and it could be attributed primarily to the thrombotic nature of coronavirus. Due to the assault of multiple organs and systems, a medical board consisting of urologists and other medical specialties substantially contributed to the favorable outcome.

Necrotising fasciitis in the COVID-19 era: A consequence of caution - A case series.

Necrotising fasciitis (NF) is a severe soft tissue infection that is associated with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. During the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the population has been actively discouraged from presenting to emergency medical services unless absolutely necessary. While this was an important step in allowing for preservation of limited resources in a time of crisis, it may have resulted in immeasurable 'secondary victims' of the pandemic as patients with time-critical conditions delay hospital presentation. In this case series, we describe three patients that noted symptoms of soft tissue infection, but delayed seeking healthcare advice due to concerns regarding COVID-19 exposure. All three progressed to NF, requiring highly morbid wide surgical debridement and prolonged hospital admission, with a high risk of potential mortality. The findings of this series demonstrate the importance of consistently delivering appropriate and timely healthcare interventions to patients with non-COVID-19-related conditions. While efforts must be made to ensure preservation of valuable healthcare resources in a global pandemic, patients must also be empowered to seek timely care for non-COVID-19-related conditions even in this time of crisis.

Management of Fournier's gangrene during the Covid-19 pandemic era: make a virtue out of necessity.

BACKGROUND: Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a necrotizing fasciitis caused by aerobic and anaerobic bacterial infection that involves genitalia and perineum. Males, in their 60 s, are more affected with 1.6 new cases/100.000/year. Main risk factors are diabetes, malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease. FG is a potentially lethal disease with a rapid and progressive involvement of subcutaneous and fascial plane. A multimodal approach with surgical debridement, antibiotic therapy, intensive support care, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is often needed. We present the inpatient management of an FG case during the Covid-19 pandemic period. A narrative review of the Literature searching "Fournier's gangrene", "necrotizing fasciitis" on PubMed and Scopus was performed. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60 years old man affected by diabetes mellitus, with ileostomy after colectomy for ulcerative colitis, was admitted to our Emergency Department with fever and acute pain, edema, dyschromia of right hemiscrotum, penis, and perineal region. Computed tomography revealed air-gas content and fluid-edematous thickening of these regions. Fournier's Gangrene Severity Index was 9. A prompt broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy with Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Imipenem and Daptomycin, surgical debridement of genitalia and perineal region with vital tissue exposure, were performed. Bedside daily surgical wound medications with fibrine debridement, normal saline and povidone-iodine solutions irrigation, iodoform and fatty gauze application, were performed until discharge on the 40th postoperative day. Every 3 days office-based medication with silver dressing, after normal saline and povidone-iodine irrigation and fibrinous tissue debridement, was performed until complete re-epithelialization of the scrotum on the 60th postoperative day. CONCLUSIONS: FG is burdened by a high mortality rate, up to 30%. In the literature, HBOT could improve wound restoration and disease-specific survival. Unfortunately, in our center, we do not have HBOT. Moreover, one of the pandemic period problems was the patient's displacement and outpatient hospital management. For all these reasons we decided for a conservative inpatient management. Daily cleaning of the surgical wound allowed to obtain its complete restoration avoiding surgical graft and hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy, without foregoing optimal outcomes.

RéSUMé: CONTEXTE: La gangrène de Fournier (GF) est une fasciite nécrosante causée par une infection bactérienne aérobie et anaérobie qui implique les organes génitaux et le périnée. Les hommes, dans la soixantaine, sont plus touchés avec 1,6 nouveau cas/100 000/an. Les principaux facteurs de risque sont le diabète, les tumeurs malignes, et les maladies inflammatoires de l'intestin. La GF est une maladie potentiellement mortelle avec une atteinte rapide et progressive du plan sous-cutané et fascial. Une approche multimodale, avec débridement chirurgical, antibiothérapie, soins de soutien intensif et oxygénothérapie hyperbare (OHB), est souvent nécessaire. Nous présentons la prise en charge en milieu hospitalier d'un cas de GF pendant la période de pandémie de Covid-19. Une revue narrative de la littérature, recherchant «gangrène de Fournier¼, «fasciite nécrosante¼ sur PubMed et Scopus, a été réalisée. CAS CLINQUE: Un homme de 60 ans, atteint d'un diabète sucré et porteur d'une iléostomie après colectomie pour colite ulcéreuse, a été admis dans notre service d'urgences, avec fièvre et des douleurs aiguës, œdème et dyschromie de l'hémiscrotum droit, du pénis et de la région périnéale. La tomodensitométrie a révélé une teneur en air-gaz et un épaississement fluide-œdémateux de ces régions. L'indice de gravité de la gangrène de Fournier était de 9. Une antibiothérapie rapide à large spectre avec Pipéracilline/tazobactam, imipénème et daptomycine, et un débridement chirurgical des organes génitaux et de la région périnéale avec exposition des tissus vitaux, ont été effectués. Ont été réalisés au chevet du patient, un traitement quotidien des plaies chirurgicales, avec débridement de la fibrine, irrigation par solution saline normale et solution de povidone-iode, et application de gaze iodoforme et grasse, jusqu'à la décharge au 40èmejour postopératoire. Tous les 3 jours, un traitement à base de médicaments d'officine avec pansement à l'argent a été réalisé après irrigation par solution saline normale et solution de povidone-iode, et débridement de la fibrine des tissus, jusqu'à la ré-épithélialisation complète du scrotum au 60ème jour postopératoire. CONCLUSIONS: La GF est grevée d'un taux de mortalité élevé, jusqu'à 30%. Dans la littérature, l'OHB pourrait améliorer la restauration des plaies et la survie spécifique de la maladie. Malheureusement, dans notre centre, nous n'avons pas d'OHB. En outre, l'un des problèmes de la période pandémique était le déplacement du patient et la prise en charge ambulatoire des hôpitaux. Pour toutes ces raisons, nous avons opté pour une prise en charge conservatrice en milieu hospitalier. Le nettoyage quotidien de la plaie chirurgicale a permis d'obtenir sa restauration complète en évitant la greffe chirurgicale et la thérapie en chambre à oxygène hyperbare, sans renoncer à des résultats optimaux. MOTS-CLéS: Gangrène de Fournier, fasciite nécrosante, urgence urologique, débridement chirurgical.

NEW YORK CITY COVID-19 CONSULTS: AN ALGORITHM FOR SAFE, EFFICIENT, QUALITY CARE

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 created immense anxiety amongst caregivers and unique strain on healthcare resources which is ongoing. We created a protocol to address this by examining the nature of consults (C) during the pandemic, describe which C needed to be managed in-person, and demonstrated that remote management of many C is appropriate. METHODS: A REDCAP database was used over a six weeks to record urology C at our institution. Data included COVID-status of the patient, reason for C, patient characteristics, and type of intervention required. RESULTS: We received 154 C during the study period. 53% were evaluated in person. 47% were managed remotely. Most common reasons for C were difficult foley catheter placement (21%), obstructing stones(16%), retention (14%) and hematuria (12%). Less common entities included priapism (3%) and Fournier's gangrene (3%). At the time of C 58% were COVID negative, 30% were COVID positive. After evaluation, 44% of C needed no intervention, 27% required a foley, 8% required bladder irrigation and 4% required stenting or nephrostomy placement. Outcomes of those evaluated remotely did not reflect any issues with the care rendered. Fig 1 represents C requests and Fig 2 interventions. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a higher percentage of C during COVID-19 requiring intervention compared to pre-COVID literature which we successfully identified. 44% did not require acute in-patient intervention. We have shown there is an important role that remote care can and should play in our specialty. Not all C need hands on intervention and studies such as this will result in a safe and logical algorithm for the management of C. With this approach, it became very apparent that not all C are appropriate. This can lead to enhancing the skill set of other house staff. Lastly, the lack of urgency of a large percentage of what we are consulted for becomes apparent. In the face of demands for decreased work hours amongst house staff, strained resources during the pandemic, and the anxiety of the unknown of this virus, we have been able to redefine how C services are delivered.

Mapping temporal trends in the presentation of urologic emergencies

Introduction & Objectives: Urologic emergencies include a broad swath of diagnoses that may require urgent medical or surgical intervention. Understanding the volume and timing of these emergencies can influence staffing and indirectly impact the quality of patient care. This is the first study of its kind aimed to evaluate temporal trends in the presentation of urologic emergencies. Materials & Methods: Emergency room (ER) visits in a major metropolitan, tertiary care hospital center were queried by ICD-10 code. Diagnoses included acute scrotum, hematuria, urinary retention, obstructing and non-obstructing urolithiasis, and other rare diagnoses (e.g. priapism, penile fracture, perinephric abscess, and Fournier’s gangrene). Evaluated mean ER admissions by hour and day of the week from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic year was excluded. Results: Total of 4,117 ER visits for urologic emergencies. Hourly admissions trended up beginning at 6:00 peaked at 11:00 with a gradual decline by 16:00 (Figure 1). Hourly admissions nadired from 00:00 to 6:00. Peak admission time for hematuria, kidney stones, and other diagnoses was between 10:00 to 12:00;and there was no clear trend in peak admission time for urinary retention or acute scrotum (Figure 2). There was no discernable trend in average daily admissions by day of the week (range 5.2 - 6.0 admissions).(Figure Presented) Conclusions: Urologic emergency visits peak in late morning, gradually decline until midnight before plateauing at nadir until early morning. Given that surgery often begins between 7:00 and 9:00, urologic consult staffing should account for urologic emergency temporal trends.

Two Uncommon Presentations of COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection commonly affecting immunocompromised individuals. There has been a surge in the number of these cases during the second wave of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in India. Mucormycosis has been reported to occur concurrently or a few weeks post-recovery from COVID-19. There have been multiple case reports/case series of rhino-orbital mucormycosis in India as a complication in COVID-19 pneumonia. We report two unique presentations of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) in patients recently recovered from COVID-19. The first patient is an uncontrolled diabetic with Fournier's gangrene at presentation, which on further evaluation, showed features of mucormycosis. The second one is a case of uncontrolled diabetes with a previous COVID-19 infection presenting with pulmonary mucormycosis and aspergillosis, complicated by a gastropleural fistula. While liposomal amphotericin B (L-ampB) was started for both patients, they significantly deteriorated during their course of hospital stay due to the severity of the disease.

Fournier’s Gangrene as a Possible Surgical Complication of COVÍD‑19: Two Case Reports and Literature Review

Fournier’s gangrene (FG) is a rare form of necrotizing fasciitis affecting the perineal, perianal, or genital areas. The infection is usually seen in diabetic, alcoholic, or immunosuppressed patients. Urgent debridement and broad‑spectrum antibiotics are the first‑line therapy, where in some cases soft tissue reconstruction is required. We report two patients who developed FG during COVID‑19 infection. None of the patients had a history of diabetes mellitus, alcoholism, or immune deficiency. The only reported health condition was COVID‑19 infection. Emergent debridement and elective reconstruction were performed for both of the patients. High index of suspicion is required during the examination of the perineum and the genitalia of suspected patients with COVID‑19 infection for early diagnosis and prevention of further complications. Larger studies are required to indicate the exact incidence of FG in patients with COVID 19 infection. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Turkish Journal of Plastic Surgery is the property of Turkish Society of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Multimodal approach in a patient with Fournier's gangrene during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a polymicrobial necrotizing fasciitis involving the external genitalia and perineal region. It preferentially affects men, with a mortality rate of approximately 40%. Early diagnosis, surgical debridement, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and hyperbaric chamber treatment increase the therapeutic success. The purpose of this clinical report was to emphasize how a multimodal treatment and the tenacity of the health professionals involved in the era of the coronavirus pandemic with considerable health and logistical difficulties can lead to the complete recovery of patients suffering from FG.

Management protocol for Fournier's gangrene in sanitary regime caused by SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a serious, aggressive and often deadly polymicrobial infection of the soft tissues of the perineum, the rectum and the external genital organs. It is an anatomical subcategory of necrotizing fasciitis, which has a similar etiology and treatment strategy. CASE SUMMARY: A 60-year-old man was admitted to the hospital during severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic with complaints of fever up to 38.9 °C, abdominal pain, and edema of the scrotum, the penis, the perineum, and the right gluteal region for 2 d. Computed tomography of the abdomen and the pelvis revealed extensive inflammatory infiltrations of the subcutaneous tissue of the hypogastrium, and the penis; along with liquefaction and presence of gas in the subcutaneous tissues of the scrotum, the perineum, and the right gluteal region. The patient was diagnosed with FG, and was urgently qualified to undergo surgery in the Department of Urology. After performing the necessary examinations, a resection of the necrotic tissues with bilateral orchiectomy and excision of the penile and scrotal skin was performed. After surgery, he was transferred to the intensive care unit for further management. CONCLUSION: Early management prevents the resection of the other organs by inhibiting the contiguous spread of infection.

Applying augmented reality to treat Fournier's gangrene in COVID-19 positive patients whilst safeguarding the multi-disciplinary surgical team: A case series.

INTRODUCTION: COVID-19 has presented the surgical community with a multitude of challenges. Patients requiring surgical intervention who are positive for COVID-19 are not only more likely to develop complications post-operatively, but also pose an increased infection risk to the surgical team involved in their care. The infection control concerns raised at the peak of the pandemic persist in the post-pandemic era as patients continue to test positive for COVID-19 and the risk of a 'second wave' looms. METHODS: We present a case series (compliant with SCARE [4] and PROCESS [5] criteria) to demonstrate the effective use of an AR technology platform during the intraoperative treatment of two complex COVID positive patients diagnosed with Fournier's gangrene.Retrospective review of prospectively collected data of all patients that required surgery involving multiple specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic at Jaber AlAhmad hospital in Kuwait between March 2020 to October 2020. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present two cases to highlight the use of an augmented reality (AR) platform during the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients with Fournier's gangrene in order to safeguard surgical teams whilst simultaneously enabling these complex cases to benefit from multi-specialty input intraoperatively. OUTCOME: Augmented reality is a feasible option to minimize surgeons' exposure during surgery without compromising the patients safety. DISCUSSION: This case series demonstrates how AR solutions can be employed to bolster infection control measures and may be useful in the treatment of surgical patients who test positive for COVID-19. CONCLUSION: AR solutions could be considered as an infection control strategy to safeguard surgical teams operating on COVID-19 positive patients.