An Australian woman who underwent an abdominoplasty on March 23rd has been placed in a medically induced coma, allowing doctors to better address the rare but grave complication she suffered shortly after the procedure.
Brenna McIntosh, 29, opted to have the elective cosmetic surgery to remove excess abdominal skin left behind after a journey of losing 88 pounds naturally.
Within eight days of her surgery, signs of an infection surfaced and antibiotics were administered. McIntosh would later be treated at two hospitals.
McIntosh is one of just two tummy tuck patients known to have ever been affected by necrotising fasciitis, a rare infection of the soft tissue with a nearly 30 percent mortality rate, though the condition has also been associated with liposuction, eyelid surgery, and facelift surgery.
Acting fast is key in treating necrotising fasciitis says the U.S. CDC and aggressive debridement of dead tissue and administering antibiotics are among recommended treatments.
At a Melbourne public hospital, McIntosh is now undergoing daily care to remove infected tissue, and receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments.
While public hospital healthcare is free to Australian citizens, months of recovery and downtime are anticipated after McIntosh is discharged.
Lauren Vanderven, a friend of McIntosh’s, has established a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover these expenses.
“Brenna has made so many people smile both in-person and through social media, so let’s give her a reason to smile,” writes Vanderven.