Necrotizing Fasciitis in the Adult Patient: Implications for Nurse Practitioners

Necrotizing fasciitis is a life-threatening skin and soft tissue infection associated with high morbidity and mortality in adult patients. Nurse practitioners in both outpatient and inpatient settings should be vigilant for the hallmark signs and symptoms, such as pain out of proportion to the wound appearance and gray or “dishwasher”-colored discharge from the wound. Prompt recognition of these signs and symptoms, rapid surgical debridement, and early initiation of broad-spectrum antimicrobial management are necessary for optimizing patient outcomes and reducing hospital length of stay, cost, morbidity, and mortality. •Necrotizing fasciitis is a soft tissue infection with high morbidity and mortality.•Necrotizing fasciitis may be monomicrobial or polymicrobial.•Early diagnosis and surgical debridement enhance patient outcomes.•Broad-spectrum intravenous antimicrobial agents should be initiated rapidly.