A Case of Gas Gangrene of the Neck in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis Undergoing Drug Therapy

Abstract

In immunosuppressed patients, gas gangrene progresses rapidly and can be fatal. We report a case of rapidly spreading gas gangrene in a 78-year-old woman receiving prednisolone and tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis（RA）. The patient was found lying on the street three days after tooth extraction and was transported to our hospital by ambulance. She had marked redness and swelling from the left submandibular area to anterior neck, and stink. The patient was on prednisolone and tocilizumab for RA on a regular basis, and it was thought that the infection spread rapidly due to immunocompromise. After entering the intensive care unit, she was treated with the emergency department and other related clinical departments, and debridement was performed under general anesthesia. After 60 day hospitalization in our hospital, she was transferred to a rehabilitation center for her illness.