Clostridium myonecrosis — a rare and underdiagnosed condition in the elderly: a case with severe skipping lesions and an overview of treatment guidelines

We present an unusual and severe case of spontaneousclostridial myonecrosis (SCM) in an elderly patient, with severe skipping lesions spread throughout the body. CT imaging, combined with postmortem available blood cultures, confirmed the diagnosis. We noted an underrepresentation of SCM in the cohort of elderly patients ( ≥ 85 years), upon a review of case reports in the literature over the last decade. Given the worldwide demographic change resulting in an increase in the number of visits to emergency departments for this age group, it is likely that SCM is underdiagnosed in these elderly patients. This case repor t aims to increase awareness among emergency physicians to recognize the disease as well as to provide a treatment guideline, in order to provide better care and outcome.
Source: International Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Source Type: research