Case Report DOI: 10.18231/2394-6776.2018.0047 Trauma induced adult purpura fulminans: A case report Deepa Durga Roy Senior Resident, Safdarjung Hospital & V.M.M. College, New Delhi, India *Corresponding Author: Email:
[email protected] Abstract Introduction: Purpura fulminans is characterised by sudden and rapid advancement of hematologic and cutaneous manifestations in the form of skin necrosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation which progresses to multi organ failure resulting in death if left unidentified. Even as neonatal purpura is popularly documented, there is paucity of literature regarding adult purpura fulminans which may occur secondary to sepsis, be an autoimmune response or be of idiopathic origin. Autopsy findings are usually negative. The following case is of a young healthy army man who died suddenly of purpura fuminans consequent to a single lacerated injury sustained to lower limb. Keywords: Purpura, Purpura fulminans, Adult, Injury, Trauma. Introduction opening the stitches the lacerated wound was muscle Henoch in 1887 introduced the term purpura deep. Margins of the wound were clean. The whole body fuminans. The condition refers to rapidly progressing, (more over the lower limbs) showed widespread non life threatening, widespread, dermal microvascular blanching reddish purple purpuric rash, which was thrombosis associated with disseminated intravascular showing bluish black hemmorhagic necrosis at places coagulation (DIC) and perivascular hemorrhage with diffuse margins, which on cut section revealed characterised by non-blanch able hemorrhagic skin necrosis up to subcutaneous tissue. On internal lesions. Purpura fuminans in neonates or children may examination florid petechaie were present in heart, liver occur in severe acute sepsis and is an important feature and both lungs.