Variables that predict hospital stay and the outcome of Fournier gangrene at King Abdulaziz University Hospital: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The aggressive nature of Fournier gangrene and the associated health issues can result in a more complex clinical course and potentially a longer hospital stay. This study aimed to assess factors that affect the length of hospital stay (LHS) and its relation to the outcome of Fournier gangrene patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Saudi Arabia, on patients diagnosed with Fournier gangrene between 2017 and 2023. Data about length of hospital stay (LHS), age, BMI, clinical and surgical data and outcome was obtained. RESULTS: The mean age of the studied patients was 59.23 ± 11.19 years, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 26.69 ± 7.99 kg/m2, and the mean duration of symptoms was 10.27 ± 9.16 days. The most common presenting symptoms were swelling or induration (64%), 88% had comorbidities with diabetes mellitus (DM) (84%), and 76% had uncontrolled DM. of patients, 24% had a poly-microbial infection, with E. coli being the most common (52%). The mean length of hospital stay (LHS) was 54.56 ± 54.57 days, and 24% of patients had an LHS of more than 50 days. Longer LHS (> 50 days) was associated with patients who did not receive a compatible initial antibiotic, whereas shorter LHS was associated with patients who received Impenem or a combination of vancomycin and meropenem as alternative antibiotics following incompatibility. Reconstruction patients had significantly longer LHS and a higher mean temperature. However, none of the studied variables were found to be predictors of long LHS in the multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of the values that predict LHS allows for patient-centered treatment and may be useful in predicting more radical treatments or the need for additional treatment in high-risk patients. Future multicenter prospective studies with larger sample sizes are needed to assess the needed variables and predictors of long LHS.

Brucellar testicular abscess: The 17th case report and review of literature.

Brucellosis is an endemic zoonotic disease caused by intracellular gram-negative coccobacilli called Brucella. This infectious disease may implicate many farm animals and is transmissible to exposed humans. Brucellosis is potentially life-threatening and may lead to granulomatous multi-organ involvement with tendency to chronicity and recurrence. The treatment of brucellosis requires combined and protracted antimicrobial therapies to eliminate the disease and to avoid its relapse. Genitourinary brucellosis is common among infected humans in endemic areas and is considered the second-most affected focal site, which commonly manifests as epididymo-orchitis. Testicular abscess, however, is an extremely rare complication of brucellosis. To the best of our knowledge, in the literature, there are to date only 16 previously published case reports, including 22 patients of brucellar testicular abscesses, emphasizing the extreme rarity of this condition. Most of these cases harbored small abscesses, which were treated conservatively using antibiotics therapy only, or with added drainage of the abscesses. Larger abscesses were reported to necessitate orchiectomy. In some cases, the abscesses were mimicking tumors, and surgeries for orchiectomy were done accordingly. A summary of the previously reported cases in the literature is presented. Here, we present the 17th case report of a 34-year-old man with a right-side huge multilocular brucellar testicular abscess apparently replacing the entire testicle, who was successfully treated with organ-sparing management by incision-drainage of the large abscess with antibiotics, to eventually preserve his testis. In conclusion, brucellosis should be considered among the differential diagnoses of any testicular swelling, especially in endemic areas. Drainage of brucellar testicular abscess with appropriate medical treatment is feasible and may preserve the testicle, even with large abscess apparently replacing the entire testicle.