Phlegmon can be very dangerous and requires immediate attention.

Phlegmon refers  to diseases that can pose a threat to the life of the patient if timely measures are not taken to treat it. This purulent inflammation that has developed in fatty tissue can be provoked by various bacterial pathogens, develop due to inflammation of the surrounding tissues, have different forms and localizations, and be aggravated by the patient's chronic diseases. In the initial stages, conservative treatment of phlegmon is possible, but most often it requires surgical intervention to prevent the spread of inflammation.

Causes for the development of phlegmon and classification of its types

Phlegmon, or diffuse purulent inflammation, develops due to the fact that pathogenic microorganisms have entered the space of fatty tissue through a wound on the skin. This is most often Staphylococcus aureus, although other bacteria are possible. The causative agents of infection can enter the fiber space not only from the outside, but also with the flow of blood or lymph. Phlegmon is not limited to adipose tissue – inflammation can spread to muscles, bones, internal organs.

Types of phlegmon according to various factors that provoked it:

By mode of transmission:

• primary – through a wound or abrasion on the skin;
• secondary – from neighboring inflamed foci of infection (with caries, tonsillitis);
• contact – ruptured abscess or carbuncle.

By localization:

• subcutaneous;
• intermuscular;
• phlegmon of a separate part of the body (feet, hands, neck).
• By the nature of development in tissues:
• serous;
• necrotic;
• purulent;
• putrid.

By the nature of manifestation:

• acute or chronic;
• deep or superficial;
• limited or progressive.

Symptoms of phlegmon and predisposing factors for its development

Under normal conditions, microorganisms capable of causing phlegmon often live on human skin and do not cause disease. Predisposing factors for the development of phlegmon are the weakening of the body by various diseases, including chronic ones (diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis), immunodeficiency, general exhaustion, which does not allow resisting infection.

The severity of the course of phlegmon depends on the type of bacteria that have penetrated into the fatty tissue, and on its form:

serous – exudate accumulates in the area of ​​inflammation, the fiber looks gelatinous and is saturated with a cloudy liquid, the border of the inflamed area is not expressed;

purulent – muddy yellow or green exudate, the formation of ulcers and fistulas, with unfavorable development, pus penetrates through the subfascial spaces to neighboring tissues;

putrid – tissues are destroyed with the formation of fetid gases, putrefactive decay of tissues occurs – they look dark green, loose and slippery;

necrotic – looks like a limited focus, the tissues of which are torn off and leave behind a wound, abscesses form in place of the phlegmon;

anaerobic – there are extensive areas of necrosis, the tissues are dark gray, a fetid odor is emitted, on palpation, a crackling of the tissues is heard due to gas bubbles, the surrounding tissues look like boiled, but do not turn red.

Basic principles of treatment of various forms of phlegmon

Since phlegmon is a life-threatening disease, the main principle of its treatment is the surgical opening of a purulent focus, cleansing and drainage. Mandatory antibiotic therapy, taking into account the causative agent of infection. To reject dead & nbsp; tissue sections use proteolytic enzymes, the wound is covered with bandages with antibacterial ointment, bandages with troxevasin, sea buckthorn oil are used to stimulate the restoration of the skin. Be sure to carry out parallel therapy aimed at strengthening the body's defenses, vitamins, immunomodulatory drugs.