On August 3, representatives of Lang Son Provincial General Hospital said that patient L.V.N. was brought to the Emergency Department in a state of reduced awareness, fever 38-39 degrees C, blood pressure 95/60 mmHg.
The patient's right forearm is swollen, muscles are tense and stiff, swollen, and dark necrotic patches appear on the skin. The symptoms show that the soft tissue infection is progressing severely.
The patient has a history of stroke, mild sequelae, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's.
Immediately after receiving the patient, the doctor assessed the overall condition, performed tests, took blood culture samples and used intravenous antibiotics to treat cellulitis.
Blood culture results determined that the patient was infected with Aeromonas hydrophila. Thanks to early detection and appropriate antibiotic use, after three days of treatment, the infection was controlled, and the lesions did not continue to spread.
The patient was then transferred to the Department of Infectious Diseases for further monitoring and treatment.
Aeromonas hydrophila are bacteria that often exist in fresh water, brackish water and damp soil. The bacteria can enter the body through open wounds, especially when the patient is exposed to contaminated water or mud.
In the elderly, people with underlying diseases or immunodeficiency, bacteria can cause severe soft tissue infections, necrotic fasciitis. Due to its ability to destroy tissues quickly, this agent is often called "flesh-eating bacteria" in the media.
If not detected and treated promptly, infection can cause tissue necrosis, sepsis, septic shock, multiple organ failure. In severe cases, patients are at risk of having limbs amputated or dying.
Doctors recommend that people with open wounds should limit direct contact with ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, mud or polluted water sources when there is no protective equipment. People with diabetes, liver failure, chronic kidney failure, cancer, chronic lung disease, hematology or immunodeficiency are at risk of worsening.
When the wound is swollen, painful, red, swollen, blistered, changes skin color, accompanied by fever or abnormal pain, people need to go to a medical facility for examination, do not self-treat at home.
