Concepts for the identification and approach of Fournier’s gangrene

Abstract

Introduction. Fournier's gangrene is a fulminant and progressive necrotizing fasciitis of synergistic polymicrobial infectious origin that affects the perianal, perineal, genital and abdominal regions. Its incidence is greater in men, the average age of reported presentation is 54.7 ± 15.6 years; its mortality is 3-67%, although there are studies that report a mortality of 7.5% in men and 12.8% in women. Methodology. A review of the literature was carried out in the databases and information sources: PubMed, Scielo, and Google Scholar, published between 1950 and 2018 using terms such as "Fournier Gangrene", "Fasciitis, Necrotizing”, Wound Infection, "therapy"[Subheading] and “GRADE Approach". A second review was performed for articles in Latin American Spanish up to 2020 using the same sources and keywords. Results. Articles that reported definitions, historical data, diagnostic and therapeutic updates were selected, performing an updated review. Informed consent was requested for the use of images. Conclusion. Fournier's gangrene continues to be a potentially lethal surgical emergency, thanks to the research carried out, progress has been made in its treatment, improving results. It is important to analyze the risk factors for each patient and its etiology to establish the most appropriate treatment.