Abstract
Necrotizing fasciitis is an uncommon yet fatal soft tissue infection. Current recommended
treatment includes antibiotics with repeat surgical exploration and wound debridement
followed by reconstruction. In burn patients, the Meek micrograft has demonstrated
a higher true expansion ratio, faster reepithelialization rate, more resilient toward
infection, and reduced risk of graft failure as compared with meshed graft. To our
best knowledge, the use of Meek micrografting technique in reconstruction of postdebridement
wounds of necrotizing fasciitis has not been reported. Hereby, we present a case of
a 57-year-old gentleman who was referred to us for wound reconstruction after surgical
debridement of Fournier's gangrene and extensive necrotizing fasciitis involving the
anterior abdomen and bilateral femoral region. Meek micrografting technique was used
to reconstruct the anterior abdomen as the wound bed was large. Although the graft
was complicated with a small area of localized infection, it did not spread across
the entire graft and was successfully treated with topical antibiotics and regular
wound dressing. In our case, wound reconstruction using Meek micrografting technique
in a patient with extensive necrotizing fasciitis was successful and showed positive
outcome. Therefore, we suggest further studies to be conducted to investigate the
applications and outcomes of the Meek micrografting technique, especially in patients
with extensive wound bed and limited donor site availability.
Keywords
necrotizing fasciitis - reconstructive surgery - skin transplantation - skin graft
