Escherichia coli Necrotizing Fasciitis After Abdominoplasty Combined With Liposuction: A Report of a Case and Review of the Literature
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Abdominoplasty and liposuction rank among the most common aesthetic plastic surgeries and are considered safe procedures, although intraoperative and postoperative complications can occur. Hematoma, seroma, infections, deep venous thrombosis, and death are some of the encountered complications. Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare, severe, and deadly soft-tissue infection that can develop in healthy patients who undergo common aesthetic operations such as abdominoplasty or liposuction. Early detection and treatment of these complications are crucial. This report documents a rare case of monomicrobial Escherichia coli necrotizing fasciitis after abdominoplasty combined with liposuction. Factors associated with a lower risk of complications include being a healthy non-smoker of normal weight, aged under 55 years, having a shorter interval between bariatric and cosmetic surgery, ensuring proper hand hygiene, and exercising extreme caution during abdominal flap undermining. Exceptionally rare cases of E. coli infections following abdominoplasty or liposuction were described in the literature. Several hypotheses can explain the E. coli infection that can complicate these surgeries, such as poor hand hygiene in some patients, contamination during perioperative care, delayed pre-processing cleaning of surgical instruments and the adhesive property of the instruments, post-sterilization contamination, and the translocation hypothesis. This report underscores the importance of early recognition and prompt management of necrotizing fasciitis, even in low-risk patients undergoing common aesthetic procedures.
Source: Cureus
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.86261
Language: English
Topic: Body Contouring and Surgery
Subfield: Surgery
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4411429219