Detection and Delineation of Necrotizing Fasciitis Via a Vascular Perfusion Fluorophore: A Pilot Study
The primary objective of this work is to determine if fluorescence signal intensity changes from a vascular perfusion fluorophore (indocyanine green) can be associated with the presence of necrotizing fasciitis. Hypothesis - Tissue regions affected with necrotizing fasciitis will demonstrate reduced fluorescence intensity compared to an unaffected region without clinical evidence of necrotizing fasciitis.
• Age 18 years or older
• Clinical suspicion of necrotizing fasciitis based on physician or mid-level provider assessment. Clinical suspicion would be based upon the presence of one or more of these findings: Pain out of proportion to visible findings Temperature 100.4 F LRINEC (Laboratory Risk INdicator for NECrotizing fasciitis) score of ≥6 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15241098/) Tense soft tissues
• Determined to be a candidate for soft-tissue biopsy and/or surgical debridement by the on-call emergency department, orthopaedic, and/or general surgical trauma teams.
• The ability to give written informed consent