Sepsis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Sepsis, including details on septicemia, diagnosis, symptoms, treatment.

Plastic surgery management in pediatric meningococcal-induced purpura fulminans.

Dinh TA, Friedman J, Higuera S

Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Scurlock Tower, 6560 Fannin, Suite 800, Houston, TX 77030, USA. tdinh@bcm.tmc.edu

Purpura fulminans associated with meningococcemia is a devastating disease in children. The tissue loss can be extensive and difficult to determine at the outset. The authors suggest a strategy to manage these wounds with the goal of preserving as much tissue and function as possible. At the present time, conservative therapy to the wounds appears to be the best course in the initial, critical phase, as long as no active local purulence is found. Debridement or amputation is performed when the nonviable tissue margins are delineated. Temporary coverage with allograft may be required; definitive coverage is accomplished when the local tissue perfusion has recovered. Future revisions are often necessary to improve these children's quality of life.

Published 7 January 2005 in Clin Plast Surg, 32(1): 117-21, ix.
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