COVID-19 and Fournier’s Gangrene: Is there a Correlation Between Both Diseases?

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.15932923200410

• Palavras-chave: -

• Keywords: Necrotising fasciitis; Fournier’s gangrene; Infection; Morbidity; Mortality; Treatment outcome; Wound healing

• Abstract:

  Background: Reports on the development of Fournier’s Gangrene (FG) in
  patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are rare.
  Aim: This study reports a series of cases of patients with both diseases and to
  summarize the literature on the subject.
  Methods: We retrospectively examined electronic medical records dated
  between March 2020 and December 2021 of all adult patients with COVID-19
  admitted to the Clinics Hospital of Ribeirão Preto (HCFMRP-USP) to identify
  those who had a diagnosis of FG. The diagnosis of COVID-19 was made by
  RT-PCR. We assessed the following patient characteristics: age; sex; tobacco
  use; laboratory data; and comorbidities such as human immunodeficiency virus
  (HIV), obesity, diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, and alcoholism.
  Results: Four patients met the inclusion criteria. All the patients were female
  and had at least two comorbidities, including obesity (n=4, 100%), systemic
  arterial hypertension (n=3, 75%), diabetes mellitus (n=2, 50%), cardiovascular
  disease (n=1, 25%), chronic kidney disease (n=1, 25%), and hematologic
  disorders (n=1, 25%). They were all admitted to the intensive care unit and
  underwent surgical debridement under anesthesia. All the patients received

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  hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The mean age was 62.75 years (range 60-66
  years), and the mean length of stay was 30 days (range 22-37 days). One
  patient died (n=1, 25%).
  Conclusion: This is the first report in the literature on a series of cases of FG in
  patients with COVID-19. FG associated with COVID-19 is a serious, potentially
  lethal condition.