Case Study : Cellulitis Bacterial Infection

Background

Patient (51) was admitted to a South African Provincial Government Hospital with Cellulitis Bacterial Infection on 20 November 2018.

Conclusion

After just 10 days of treatment with CAMED Wound Support the patient’s wound was healed and was able to be discharged from hospital.

Facts about Cellulitis

Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin and tissues beneath the skin.

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus are the types of bacteria that are usually responsible for cellulitis, although many types of bacteria can cause the condition.

Sometimes cellulitis appears in areas where the skin has broken open, such as the skin near ulcers or surgical wounds.

Symptoms and signs of cellulitis include:
• Redness,
• Pain and Tenderness,
• Swelling,
• Enlarged lymph nodes, and warmth of the affected area.

Cellulitis can occur anywhere in the body but frequently affects the legs.

Cellulitis is not contagious.

Complications of severe cellulitis include spread of the infection from the affected area into the bloodstream or to other body tissues.

Cellulitis can be treated with oral or intravenous antibiotics.

What are cellulitis risk factors?

Most commonly, cellulitis develops in the area of a break in the skin, such as a cut, small puncture wound, or insect bite. In some cases when cellulitis develops without an apparent skin injury, it may be due to microscopic cracks in the skin that are inflamed or irritated. It may also appear in the skin near ulcers or surgical wounds.

In other circumstances, cellulitis occurs where there has been no skin break at all, such as with chronic leg swelling (edema). A pre-existing skin infection, such as athlete's foot (tinea pedis) or impetigo can be a risk factor for the development of cellulitis. Likewise, inflammatory medical conditions or diseases of the skin such as eczema, psoriasis, or skin damage caused by radiation therapy can lead to cellulitis.

People who have diabetes or diseases that compromise the function of the immune system (for example, HIV/AIDS or those receiving chemotherapy or drugs that suppress the immune system) are particularly prone to developing cellulitis.

Conditions or diseases that reduce the circulation of blood in the veins or that reduce circulation of the lymphatic fluid (such as venous insufficiency, obesity, pregnancy, or surgeries) also increase the risk of developing cellulitis.