Treatment
The severity of this disease frequently warrants hospitalization. Admission to the intensive care unit is often necessary for supportive care (for aggressive fluid management, ventilation, renal replacement therapy and inotropic support), particularly in the case of multiple organ failure. The source of infection should be removed or drained if possible: abscesses and collections should be drained. Anyone wearing a tampon at the onset of symptoms should remove it immediately. Outcomes are poorer in patients who do not have the source of infection removed.
Antibiotic treatment should cover both S. pyogenes and S. aureus. This may include a combination of cephalosporins, penicillins or vancomycin. The addition of clindamycin or gentamicin reduces toxin production and mortality.
Prognosis
With proper treatment, patients usually recover in two to three weeks. The condition can, however, be fatal within hours.
Read more about this topic: Toxic Shock Syndrome
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—Plato (c. 427–347 B.C.)
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—C. John Sommerville (20th century)
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—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)