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Quote from: addicted2dvd on June 22, 2010, 10:08:21 PM
Thanks everyone... I will be sure to post more info once I get it.

Appreciated! I'm eager to hear something about the reason!

I hope it turns out to be something minor, Pete. Must have been frightening.

OK... we just heard what is going on... though I admit to being confused as I would have thought the antibiotics should have worked.

It seems he had a hell of a staph infection. His entire arm from his shoulder down was very swollen. They had to cut him from his palm up to his shoulder... and surgically remove this infection. From what I understand they now have him in ICU and scheduled for another operation tomorrow to be sure they got it all.

can a staph infection get so bad that it has to be surgically cleaned out like this?

I've had my own medical problems over the last 3 years but staph infections are something I'm really not familiar with.  I've heard of them, but that's about it.

...From what I know about them they are pretty much like a build up of puss, and they get drained, so if that's true then Pete I guess they had to drain your brothers arm and then they are doing the extra surgery to make sure they got it all...

I remember someone on tv having one on a medical program im not sure which it was though.

I was reading about it... and saw it mentioned surgically drained. But does it really take a cut from palm to shoulder to do such a thing?

Quote from: addicted2dvd on June 22, 2010, 11:35:27 PM
OK... we just heard what is going on... though I admit to being confused as I would have thought the antibiotics should have worked.

It seems he had a hell of a staph infection. His entire arm from his shoulder down was very swollen. They had to cut him from his palm up to his shoulder... and surgically remove this infection. From what I understand they now have him in ICU and scheduled for another operation tomorrow to be sure they got it all.

can a staph infection get so bad that it has to be surgically cleaned out like this?

Yes Pete. Actually it could have been much worse, ever hear of the flesh eating bacteria?

It sounds as though your brother has Compartment Syndrome and required a procedure called a Fasciotomy.

What happens is the staph infection was in his arm. The body tries to fight it by sending white blood cells etc. to the area. Between the bodies immune response and the growing infection, the area becomes very swollen.

The problem is that this huge amount of pressure starts to cause damage to the surrounding tissue. If this pressure is not relieved the tissue dies. This could be so bad that it would result in the loss of that limb.

Because the pressure was so extensive, and other treatments such as antibiotics are too time consuming, your brother needed to have a Fasciotomy. I believe this is the name of the surgery he had. The doctor makes a long cut to relieve the pressure within your brother's arm and help return the circulation to that area.

Edit: It is not unusual for such an incision - the pressure must be relieved.

Thanks Kathy...
I was waiting for your reply! I feel like I understand it a little better now. As I said... they have him in ICU for tonight... and planned a second surgery tomorrow. Does this sound right with your thinking?

Ugh! Don't go on Wikipedia looking about Fasciotomy if you're squeamish! 

Now you know... that does nothing but makes me want to look!

Hope things are picking up now Pete, at least you know what the problem is which much be a lot nicer than just that feeling of the unknown.

yup... absolutely. I mean sure there is still a bit of concern here.. but at least we are in the know.

Sometimes it will take several surgeries Pete. There are lots of variables, but the most important thing is that they remove any dead tissue (necrosis). The healing tissue needs to be free of any necrosis.

How long had your brother's arm been bothering him? It sounds as if he had this brewing for quite awhile.

I just remembered which TV series showed a fasciotomy - Bones! Remember when Bones and Jack were buried alive? Bones performed a fasciotomy on him...without anesthesia!

One of my first patients as a student nurse had this procedure. There was a little boy, around 8 or 9, who got off on sticking needles into his arm. He ended up with compartment syndrome and needed this surgery.

I know most people will look at those pictures and get squeamish, I find them fascinating...even more so live!

yeah I remember that in Bones.

Thanks Kathy. Hopefully it will not take to many more times. I wonder what recovery time will look like for him. I am sure it is determined by the severity of his case. But I know him... if he can't go back to work before too long he will go nuts sitting at home.

Not sure how long it was bothering him. He is not the type to complain about things until it is advanced so who knows.

I hope he gets better soon. 
I would have been worried too before knowing exactly what was wrong.

I have heard of staph infections getting really bad in some cases.  Hopefully he will be better soon.