A 32 year-old male with PMH significant for opioid use disorder, a prior admission in 2021 for left-sided empyema s/p thoracotomy and decortication, gas bacteremia, and tricuspid endocarditis presented for a left leg wound. The patient reported a wound to his left leg that had become larger over the past 5 months. The pain worsened today, prompting him to come to the emergency department for evaluation. His mother, who was at his bedside, reported that the same type of wound occurred on his right arm “many months ago” and resulted in his arm “falling off”. He injects heroin into his leg and denies licking his needles. He reported intermittent subjective fevers for the few days prior to presentation. He last used heroin 2 hours prior to arrival.
SAEM Clinical Images Series: Xylazine Wounds
2025-01-04T22:25:04-08:00
By: Rebecca Fenderson, MD and Alfred Cheng, MD, FPD-AEMUS |Editors: Jessica Hoglund, MD; Moises Gallegos, MD, MPH