BACKGROUND:

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare infection of the subcutaneous tissue and the fascia that is rapidly progressive and deadly, requiring early and aggressive surgical debridement to decrease mortality. The objective of this study was to describe a rare case of genital necrotizing fasciitis after operative vaginal delivery.

CLINICAL CASE:

A 30 years old primiparous woman with a history of vaginal infection by Ureaplasma. Instrumented delivery was attended at 39 weeks, repairing right mid-lateral episiotomy without complications and discharge after 48 hours. On the fifth day of the puerperium she went to the emergency department for severe perineal pain and fever, finding perineal hematoma and right gluteus with erythema around, indurated and with vaginal crepitation with fetid hemato-purulent secretion. The laboratories reported leukocytosis and anemia, wound cultures showed polymicrobial infection and pelvic ultrasound diagnosed 2 well-defined collections in dermal and muscular planes. Management was initiated with broad-spectrum antibiotics plus washing and daily surgical debridement for 5 days. Subsequently, it was placed with VAC therapy for 7 days until granulation was achieved; and then, surgical washes were continued for 5 more days. On the 18th day, the wound was closed without complications. In her sixth week of follow-up she has a scarred wound, without pain or fecal or urinary incontinence; only refers to hypoesthesia of the scar, but with satisfactory evolution.

CONCLUSION:

The ideal is to establish the diagnosis as early as possible to decrease morbidity and mortality, immediately offer multidisciplinary care that allows the best surgical outcomes to be achieved, and increases survival.

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