In plain words
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare infection that spreads through the layers under the skin, damaging tissue as it goes. It is sometimes called a flesh-eating infection. After birth, it can start at a surgical cut, a tear, or the umbilical cord site. Pain that seems much worse than the look of the wound is one warning sign. Others include fever, spreading redness, swelling, dark patches, or feeling very sick. Call 911 or go to the emergency room now if you notice these signs. It is rare, but it is a medical emergency when it happens.
The deeper version
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rapidly progressive soft tissue infection of the fascia, caused by group A streptococcus, other streptococci, or mixed flora, that spreads along fascial planes with thrombosis of small vessels. Early recognition depends on pain out of proportion to exam findings, systemic toxicity, and rapid spread, and it is often missed in its early phase. In the postpartum period, risk follows surgical incisions, perineal wounds, and the umbilical stump, and it can follow . Management requires urgent surgical debridement and broad-spectrum antibiotics, as set out in the IDSA guideline on skin and soft tissue infections (Stevens and colleagues, Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2014). Mortality remains substantial. The controversy concerns the sensitivity of early clinical signs and the role of imaging in unclear presentations.
Where it comes up
- Signs of infection after birthPostpartum: Your Body
- Umbilical cord careBaby Basics
- Cesarean recovery, week by weekPostpartum: Your Body
- Healing a tear or stitchesPostpartum: Your Body
What mothers here say about necrotizing fasciitis
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Sources
- Stevens DL and colleagues, Infectious Diseases Society of America — Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections: 2014 update, Clinical Infectious Diseases (2014)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — Necrotizing fasciitis: facts and clinical information