Skin graft to go ahead

The 42-year-old woman who was admitted into Witbank Provincial Hospital for a rash is currently in Nelspruit Hospital for a skin graft.

The woman was taken to Nelspruit last week for the skin graft where she was told her wound needs to be cleaned totally before a skin graft could be performed.

On Tuesday, December 1 a skin graft was supposed to go ahead on the 42-year-old woman’s arm.
On Sunday, November 1 the woman went to Witbank Hospital after she had a rash on her arm near the spider bite.
After she was seen in casualties she was sent to Ward 5 and was diagnosed with Cellulitis which is spreading of bacterial infection of the skin and tissues beneath the skin.

The 42-year-old woman’s arm before her first operation in Witbank Provincial Hospital.

On Monday, November 2 at 05:00 the woman came out of theatre, her armed was bandaged up and her arm was elevated.
At 09:30 night staff took over it was reported that her arm was still swollen and the dressing was wet.
On November 9, she complained again to the nursing staff that her arm was in extreme pain.
The following day on the Tuesday, November 10 she went back into theatre where the open wound was cleaned out and most of the skin was cut away.

The hole in the 42-year-old woman’s arm before the skin graft on Tuesday, December 1.

On Wednesday, November 11 she was discharged from Witbank Hospital.
Allegedly she had a prescription for Pethodene, but allegedly the nurse tore it up and she was handed a bag of Panados and an antibiotic.

“I was sent home with an open wound, not even dressings were giving to me, nothing at all. This whole weekend, I walked around with an open wound,” said the woman.

In November of 2012 a woman from eMalahleni was bitten by a Violin spider. The superficial bite is painless and initially goes unnoticed.

“My skin started to itch and then the area went red and swollen,” said the woman.

She went to Witbank Provincial Hospital for treatment on the spider bite and was later taken into theatre where the wound was cleaned out. Even though most of the poison was removed a hole was still made in her arm.

The Mpumalanga Health Department issued a response about the treatment the 42- year-old woman received. A response was issued by the Communication Directorate Mr Dumisani Malamule, it read:

“She was admitted on November 1 at 01:05 with an initial diagnosis of Cellulitis in her left arm and put on IV Antibiotics, Analgesics Elevation of limb.
On review at 07:30 on the same day the diagnosis was changed to abscess on the left forearm for which she was taken to theatre and the abscess was drained on November 2 at 04:05.
On November 8 an attempt was made to remove some of the dead tissue and dressing (melladerm plus) was continued.
November 10 on review of the wound was still having some necrotic (dead) tissue for which she was taken to theatre and debrided (surgically cleaned). She was discharged on November 11 on Meladerm dressing and antibiotics, for review in three weeks’ time, she was also given a prescription of Augmentin Paracetamol and Tramadol was made, but it appears the Tramadol was out of stock.
She however did not attend the local clinic for dressing and was readmitted on November 16. It was also noted that she was drowsy-looking and was on an antidepressant. A psychiatric consulted was made. She was finally discharged on November 19 with an appointment to see a plastic surgeon at Rob Ferreira.”