Dr. Harvey Himel: "Necrotizing Fasciitis: New Treatment Discovered for Deadly Flesh-Eating Disease"
Necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as the flesh-eating disease, results from a bacterial infection and rapidly destroys the body's soft tissue.
The condition garnered national attention in 2012, when 24-year-old Aimee Copeland underwent a quadruple amputation after contracting necrotizing fasciitis in the aftermath of a zip lining accident. A FDA-approved wound cleanser called NeutroPhase contains hypochlorous acid and is used to treat the condition. "Hypochlorous acid is produced by the body's white blood cells when it fights infection," said Harvey Himel, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery, and Medical Director of the Wound Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "It is one of the common chemicals found to purify water in swimming pools and is used as a disinfectant in food preparation." Learn more
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