Bal KK, Aslan C, Gür H, Bal ST, Ustun RO, Unal M. Deep neck infections mortal complications: Intrathoracic complications and necrotising fasciitis. World J Clin Cases 2024; 12(30): 6383-6390 [PMID: 39464330 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i30.6383]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kemal Koray Bal, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mersin University, Çiftlikköy/Yenişehir/Mersin, Mersin 33160, Türkiye. dr.kemalkoraybal@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Article-Type of This Article
Retrospective Study
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Oct 26, 2024; 12(30): 6383-6390 Published online Oct 26, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i30.6383
Deep neck infections mortal complications: Intrathoracic complications and necrotising fasciitis
Kemal Koray Bal, Can Aslan, Harun Gür, Seda Turk Bal, Recep Okan Ustun, Murat Unal
Kemal Koray Bal, Can Aslan, Harun Gür, Murat Unal, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mersin University, Mersin 33160, Türkiye
Seda Turk Bal, Department of Emergency Medicine, Tarsus State Hospital, Mersin 33460, Türkiye
Recep Okan Ustun, Department of Aestetic, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Health Sciences Mersin City Hospital, Mersin 33230, Türkiye
Author contributions: Bal KK, Gur H, Aslan C, Bal ST, Ustun RO, and Unal M were responsible for conception, design, data collection, analysis, and drafting; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: An application was made to our university's ethics committee for our study (Date: 24.07.2024, Decision Number: 703).
Informed consent statement: Written and verbal consents were obtained from all patients.
Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict of interest regarding our work.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kemal Koray Bal, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Mersin University, Çiftlikköy/Yenişehir/Mersin, Mersin 33160, Türkiye. dr.kemalkoraybal@gmail.com
Received: April 26, 2024 Revised: July 26, 2024 Accepted: August 22, 2024 Published online: October 26, 2024 Processing time: 130 Days and 11 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
We planned this study considering that complications of deep neck infections can be seriously life threatening.
AIM
To raise awareness that introthoracic complications and necrotizing fasciitis are causes of serious mortality and morbidity.
METHODS
This study was carried out with the participation of 188 patients who were treated at Mersin University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at January 1, 2024. When the patient files were retrospectively examined, 16 of 188 patients (8.5%) were included in the study because they were observed to have necrotizing fasciitis and/or intrathoracic complications.
RESULTS
There were a total of 16 patients in this study, 9 males (56.25%) and 7 females (43.75%). All patients were adults (> 18 years) and the mean age was 50.37 years ± 15.37 years. Female patients had a mean age of 40.42 years ±13.38 years, whereas for male patients was 58.11 years ± 12.44 years.
CONCLUSION
Patients with necrotizing fasciitis and/or intrathoracic complications require more complicated and serious surgeries, intensive care unit monitoring, and mechanical ventilator support. Higher rates of morbidity and mortality should be expected in these patients who are hospitalized for longer periods of time.
Core Tip: Intrathoracic complications and necrotizing fasciitis are feared serious complications of deep neck infections. The need for aggressive surgery and long term hospitalization make this disease important. Emergency Medicine Specialists and Otolaryngologists should know the management and possible complications of these patients well and act quickly.
