A local man is warning others after doctors say he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating bacteria, requiring immediate surgery.
“As soon as we were able to assess what was happening under the skin I knew it was only hours before we could lose him,” said Dr. Elias Tsirakoglou. “We used cutting-edge technology to get ahead of the disease which helped us save his life without having to amputate his arm.”
It was the fast actions of both doctors and Robert Morgan’s instinct that saved his life.
“If Robert would have waited any longer he wouldn’t have made it,” Tsirakoglou said. “With this condition, time determines whether someone is going to live or die.”
After seven procedures and five weeks at Orange Park Medical Center Morgan is back home and improving each day. Morgan lost the majority of his skin and muscle from his armpit down to his hip and from his sternum to his shoulder blade to the infection.
“I’m very lucky. I’m happy to be alive and I’m extremely thankful for what everyone did,” says Morgan. “I may have missed last Christmas with my family but I’ll have many more because of them.”
Ways to avoid necrotizing fasciitis include avoiding hot tubs, pools or bodies of water if you have an open wound or skin infection and hand washing.
For more information about services, facilities and physicians, you can visit OrangeParkMedical.com