[Translated article] Necrotising fasciitis: Management experience over the last two decades in our hospital

Necrotising fasciitis is a potentially life-threatening soft tissue infection that mainly affects the fascia and deep planes, with a very high mortality rate and severe related complications. To evaluate clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with necrotising fasciitis in our hospital and to describe their diagnostic and therapeutic management. Retrospective review of medical records of 21 patients diagnosed with necrotising fasciitis with limb involvement between January 2003 and February 2021 in our hospital. Demographic data, clinical features and details of management and prognosis were collected for each patient. Of 21 patients included, 15 were male (71.43%), with a mean age at diagnosis of 54.38±19.55 years. The most frequent comorbidities were insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in seven patients (33.33%) and a history of cancer in five patients (23.81%). Infection was monomicrobial in 14 cases (66.66%), with Streptococcus pyogenes being the most frequent microorganism; multiple pathogens were isolated in 2 patients (9.52%) and no microorganism was identified in 5 patients (23.81%). All patients underwent surgery at our hospital, with a mean of 4.14±3.98 surgeries. Only one patient underwent amputation of the affected limb. The mean hospital stay was 23.14±16.44 days, with an overall mortality of 47.62% (10 cases). Despite being a rare disease, necrotising fasciitis is a very aggressive pathology, with a high mortality rate, especially in immunocompromised patients. Advanced age and oncological disease are potential factors of worse prognosis in the evolution of this condition. La fascitis necrosante es una infección de partes blandas potencialmente letal que afecta principalmente a la fascia y a los planos profundos, con una tasa muy alta de mortalidad y de complicaciones graves derivadas. Evaluar las características clínicas y demográficas de pacientes con fascitis necrosante en nuestro centro y describir su manejo diagnóstico y terapéutico. Revisión retrospectiva de historias clínicas de 21 pacientes diagnosticados de fascitis necrosante con afectación de extremidades entre enero de 2003 y febrero de 2021 en nuestro centro. Se recogieron datos demográficos y clínicos del proceso y de la evaluación del manejo en cada paciente. De 21 pacientes incluidos, 15 eran varones (71,43%), con una edad media al diagnóstico de 54,38±19,55 años. Las comorbilidades más frecuentes fueron diabetes mellitus insulinodependiente en 7 pacientes (33,33%