S.C. Mother Battling Flesh-Eating Bacteria 'Slightly Improved'

She's undergone 11 debridement surgeries to remove tissue

Friday, May 25, 2012

 The health of a South Carolina woman battling a rare flesh-eating bacteria has "slightly improved," a spokeswoman for a Greenville hospital said Thursday, though the new mother remains sedated and in critical condition.

Lana Kuykendall has "undergone 11 debridement surgeries to remove tissue since being admitted May 11" to Greenville Memorial Hospital, spokeswoman Sandra Dees said Thursday by e-mail.

But unlike 24-year-old Aimee Copeland of Georgia -- who has lost a leg, part of her abdomen, her remaining foot and her hands as she fights the same disease, according to online updates from her father, Andy Copeland -- no parts of Kuykendall's body have been amputated.

"Last night, Darren told the family in his update that 'Lana's vitals and blood work is good.' This is a good day for her, and we will take it," said Brian Swaffer, Kuykendall's brother, in a message relayed by the hospital.

Kuykendall gave birth to twins, Ian and Abigail, on May 7 in Atlanta.

At that time, Kuykendall, a paramedic, was believed to be healthy. But a few days later she went to hospital near her South Carolina home after noticing a rapidly expanding bruise on her leg, her husband Darren, a firefighter, told CNN last week.
She was diagnosed then with necrotizing fasciitis and has been intubated and sedated every day since, according to her brother and the hospital.

A number of bacteria, which are common in the environment but rarely cause serious infections, can lead to the disease. When it gets into the bloodstream -- such as through a cut -- doctors typically move aggressively to excise even ...   http://www.jems.com/article/news/sc-mother-battling-flesh-eating-bacteria