It is characterised by muscle necrosis, gas production and sepsis.
A typical appearance is shown below:
From Wiki Commons, taken by Engelbert Schröpfer, Stephan Rauthe and Thomas Meyer.
Most cases are caused by trauma innoculation with bacteria, for example a farmer standing on a pitchfork.
Very rarely it may occur spontaneously, for example in the context of neutropenia.
The commonest causative organism is clostridium perfringens.
Management is:
- urgent surgical debridement
- IV Abx
- hyperbaric oxygen if available
Next up - methaemoglobinaemia
