Meleney’s gangrene managed with a single extensive debridement and resultant defect closure with abdominoplasty technique – a case report

Abstract

Introduction: Meleney’s gangrene, or progressive bacterial synergistic gangrene, is a life-threatening subcutaneous tissue infection and skin necrosis of the abdomen that is persistent and quickly progressing and has documented cultural characteristics of a symbiotic organism. The nobility of this case lies in the use of the modern technique, abdominoplasty, used to close the wound post-radical debridement for Meleney’s gangrene. This uncommon illness has a high fatality rate and requires immediate diagnosis, aggressive antibiotic treatment, and extensive debridement. Case presentation: We report the case of a 55-year-old female with no known comorbidities, who presented to our center with features of Meleney’s gangrene and pleural effusion. Radical debridement was performed and empirical intravenous antibiotics were administered. The wound was closed using the abdominoplasty approach. Clinical discussion: Meleney’s gangrene should be identified quickly and treated with wide-spectrum antibiotics and rigorous surgical debridement. It is difficult to diagnose the illness early, and skepticism is strong during this process. An increased risk of death may follow a postponed diagnosis of Meleney’s gangrene. A long-term hospital stay can result from extensive debridement. Furthermore, skin transplants may be required to close wounds in certain instances. Conclusion: This case is presented to show how early intervention and radical debridement can improve the outcome in cases of Meleney’s gangrene, which is rare and clinically significant. Additionally, this suggests that a cosmetic procedure known as abdominoplasty could be a viable option for wound closure.