Treatment, outcome and quality of life after Fournier's gangrene: A multi-centre study.

AIM: The object of this study was to describe the course of Fournier's gangrene and assess quality of life in a group of affected patients.\n\nMETHOD: We evaluated patients who received inpatient treatment for Fournier's gangrene at five hospitals in northern Germany from 1995 to 2010. Surviving patients were asked to take part in a clinical follow-up and complete the Short-Form 36 (SF-36) quality-of-life questionnaire and a disease-specific questionnaire including a physical examination.\n\nRESULTS: Of the 86 patients, 72 (83.7%) were male. The mean age of the patients was 57.9 + 13.9 years (25-89 years). The mean length of hospital stay was 52.0 + 54.0 days (1-329). Fourteen (16.3%) patients (8 male) died primarily from Fournier's gangrene. The most common aetiological events were anogenital abscess formation (n=24; 27.9%). Seventy-one (82.5%) patients had a mixed polymicrobial infection. SF-36 physical role functioning (p=0.010), physical functioning (p=0.008), general health (p=0.010) and physical health summary (p=0.006) scores were significantly lower than those of the normal population. Deterioration in sexual function was reported by 65% of the patients.\n\nCONCLUSION: Patients with Fournier's gangrene experience persistent physical and mental health problems for a long period of time following their primary hospital stay and must receive long-term care from a variety of specialists. Otherwise the disease leads to an increase in the duration of morbidity and a decrease in quality of life. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.