A Retrospective Analysis of Fournier's Gangrene at a Tertiary Government Hospital in the Philippines

Abstract

Background: Fournier's gangrene is a serious illness which involves the external genitalia and perineum. It is rare but a life-threatening form of necrotizing fasciitis. Despite aggressive treatment, the mortality rate is still high. In this study, the authors will discuss the risk factors and mortality of the said disease.

Methods: This is a descriptive retrospective study of patients with Fournier's gangrene treated at a tertiary government hospital in the Philippines between January 2014 to December 2016.

Results: The data from a total of 16 patients (M:F = 15:1) were analyzed. The most number of patients were in the 5th decade of life (range 17-75 years). The most commonly-associated morbidity was diabetes mellitus (50%). Bacterial culture results were obtained in only 15 (93.7%) patients. Of these, 13 (86.6%) had polymicrobial bacterial growth while 2 (13.3%) had monomicrobial bacterial growth. Escherichia coli (93.3%) was the most frequent bacterial organism isolated. All the microorganisms isolated showed high resistance to commonly-used antibiotics except for Meropenem, Piperacillin- Tazobactam, and Ceftriaxone. All patients were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, and emergent surgical debridement. The median length of hospital stay (LOS) was 14.3 days and mortality rate was 6.25 %.

Conclusion: Fournier's gangrene is still a grave disease that can be treated by determining the cause of infection and prompt surgical treatment is needed to improve patient outcome.