A woman in South Carolina is undergoing treatment because of a rare infection. The flesh-eating bacteria she contracted have caused her to become critically ill. Lana Kuykendall just had her fifth surgery to remove dead tissue from the lower part of one of her legs.
Surgeons and critical physicians along with specialist in the field of infectious diseases were monitoring the woman’s condition. The condition she has is usually managed through surgeries, antibiotics and supportive care.
On May 7, Kuykendall gave birth to twins and was healthy, but visited her local hospital in South Carolina just days after her twins were born when she noticed a bruise that was rapidly expanding on her lower leg. Doctors at the hospital removed dead tissue and skin from her legs and she was then put on a ventilator. Kuykendall is a paramedic and nurse. Her twins are healthy her husband said.
Copeland contracted the bacteria when she fell off a zip line May 1. She remains in critical condition with a tracheotomy and ventilator in place. A number of different kinds of bacteria can be the cause of this type of condition that attacks and then destroys healthy tissue and in approximately 20% of the cases is fatal.
The different bacteria are commonly found in the environment but only in rare cases cause an infection. However, when the bacteria do, the immune system in the body is almost always strong enough fight them off.
