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Medical Author:

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD

Steven Doerr, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Doerr received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with his Medical Degree from the University Of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado in 1998 and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine from Denver Health Medical Center in Denver, Colorado in 2002, where he also served as Chief Resident.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Preventive measures can be taken to decrease the chances of developing necrotizing fasciitis, though it may not be entirely preventable in all cases, as often the underlying cause is not identified.

Because many cases of necrotizing fasciitis begin after some type of skin trauma, proper wound care and management are important. Keep all wounds clean and watch closely for any signs of infection. Early detection and treatment of infection may be the best measure to prevent the subsequent development of necrotizing fasciitis. Promptly seek medical care if any signs or symptoms of infection appear.

Patients with underlying medical problems, such as diabetes, should watch closely for any signs of infection, and those individuals with a weakened immune system should take measures to avoid exposure to potential infections. Avoiding seafood and direct contact with warm seawater potentially contaminated with Vibrio spp is recommended for those individuals with liver disease.

Maintaining good personal hygiene and frequent hand washing can prevent infection and help control the spread of infection. Following guidelines of proper sterile surgical technique and practicing strict barrier (gloves, gowns, masks, etc.) and isolation precautions in hospitals can also allow health care personnel prevent the development and spread of infection.

Though necrotizing fasciitis is not necessarily considered a contagious disease, it is possible for an individual to become infected with an organism that is responsible for causing necrotizing fasciitis in another individual (for example, a MRSA infection), generally through direct contact. Whether or not that individual then goes on to subsequently develop necrotizing fasciitis would depend on many different variables and circumstances and represents a scenario which is possible given the right set of circumstances.

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