Necrotizing fasciitis after a blunt trauma

The necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a soft tissue infection affecting the superficial fascia, the subcutaneous tissue and the skin, the latter being affected tardively. This diagnosis is confirmed only after surgery, which consists of debridement of the necrotized tissue. The discordance between the symptomatology and physical exam made that the diagnosis is mistaken in 35% of cases. However, it seems important to remember that the prompt recognition and surgical treatment depend on the morbidity and mortality. We report the case of a patient with NF of the upper limb after a right elbow blunt trauma. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.