Fournier's Gangrene Should Not Be Confused With Everyday Necrotising Fasciitis

Diabetes Drug Infection Lawsuit News

Fournier's Gangrene has not engendered much attention recently because the disease occurs infrequently and also because it affects mostly elderly diabetic patients

Thursday, July 11, 2019 - Fournier's Gangrene is a form of necrotizing fasciitis caused by flesh-eating bacteria that destroy the perineum, an area of the torso in between the anus and the scrotum. Moreover, Fournier's Gangrene can be limited by diabetic patients choosing a diabetic medication other SGLT2 blockers such as Canagliflozin, marketed under the brand names Invokana, Invokamet, and Invokamet XR. Each of the 55 patients diagnosed with Fournier's Gangrene was taking SGLT2 blocker medications. Experts estimate that there may be many times more than 55 cases of Fournier's Gangrene amongst the elderly as doctors often mistake the disease as necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease that attacks other parts of the body. Nursing home personnel located in warm weather climates such as Florida should watch their elderly, diabetic clients closely for signs that they may have Fournier's Gangrene as the disease spreads rapidly and its treatment may require genital amputation or mutilation. Fournier Gangrene lawyers offer a free consultation and no obligation before filing a lawsuit claim.

Necrotizing Fasciitis or the "flesh-eating disease" has made headlines recently as several fishermen and beachgoers have contracted the disease while on vacations at the seashore. Environmentalists at Eco Watch.com note with concern that global warming may be providing the Streptacaucus bacteria with an ideal breeding ground, lying in wait for humans. A young Florida girl died recently from a stroke after being hospitalized for the disease. Prior to contracting the flesh-eating disease, her only medical condition was a three-inch scratch on her leg. Multiple other beachgoers have lost arms and legs to the disease and have required skin grafts elsewhere on their body.

Diabetic patients may have Fournier's Gangrene if they start to feel pain, or see redness or swelling at the base of the testicles in between them and the anus called the perineum. Those symptoms alone should be taken seriously and the patient should visit their local emergency room immediately. If left untreated for even a few days fever will develop followed by dehydration and the unmistakeably unpleasant smell of dying rotting flesh. The average hospital stay for a Fournier's Gangrene patient is around four months. Treating the disease if fairly standardized entailing debridement, the cutting away of healthy tissue surrounding the dead tissue, and packing the open wound with powerful antibiotics. Antibiotics are also administered to the patient intravenously. Other medications are given to relieve pain. Over half of all Fournier's Gangrene victims do not survive.

Canagliflozin and other diabetic medications have been linked to incidences of Fournier's Gangrene, a disease that affects both men and women. According to Invokana.com taking the diabetes drug can cause Fournier's Gangrene, "a rare but serious bacterial infection that destroys the tissue under the skin (necrotizing fasciitis) in the area between and around the anus and genitals (perineum)." The company admits that Fournier's Gangrene may necessitate a lengthy hospital stay requiring multiple surgeries that may lead to one's death to seek medical attention immediately if you develop "pain or tenderness, swelling, or redness of the skin (erythema)." In addition to Canagliflozin, WebMD.com lists other drugs linked to Fourniers as Dapagliflozin (Farxiga, Xigduo XR, Qtern), Empagliflozin (Jardiance, Glyxambi, Synjardy, Synjardy XR), and Ertugliflozin (Steglatro, Segluromet, Steglujan)."

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Lawyers for Fournier's Gangrene

OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.