Fascitis necrotizante cervical: experiencia en el Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, México

INTRODUCTION: Cervical necrotizing fasciitis is a rare entity in the head and neck (3), but its importance is given by the high mortality rate. OBJECTIVE: To describe the experience in cervical necrotizing fasciitis at the Dr. Manuel Gea González General Hospital. DESIGN: Descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study of medical records of the Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery service of the General Hospital Dr. Manuel Gea González, from 2011 to 2017. RESULTS: 11 medical records with a diagnosis of cervical necrotizing fasciitis were included, of which 8 (72.7%) were men and 3 (27.2%) were women, with a mean age of 49.1 years. Five (45.4%) patients presented with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The origin of the infection was odontogenic in three (27.2%) patients. The most frequent microorganisms were: Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus anginosus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The 11 patients (100%) underwent surgery and impregnated with empirical antimicrobials, which were later modified or not, according to the results of the antibiogram. The average hospitalization was 18.7 days. Three (27.2%) patients presented mediastinitis as a complication. There were two deaths (18.1%). CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis and aggressive empirical and surgical antimicrobial treatment can significantly reduce morbidity and mortality. CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: There are not many case reports of this pathology in Latin America, so we want to describe the experience in our Hospital. Key words: cervical necrotizing fasciitis, skin and soft tissue infections, craniocervical necrotizing fasciitis.