A Juneau man is recovering from a horrific attack from flesh-eating bacteria, and will keep his badly damaged arm, his wife told the Empire.
Ruben Pereyra cut his left hand in what appeared to be a relatively minor accident a month ago, but somehow developed a case of necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating bacterial, said wife Ana Pereyra.
They had feared Pereyra was going to lose his arm, and he had even given doctors at Harborview permission to amputate if they needed to stop the progression of the disease, she said.
“They were able save his arm, but he’s a lefty and his left arm is now too stiff to use,” she said.
Over the last month in the hospital skin grafts have been done, but she said doctors have told them that damage to the tendons may take two years and extensive rehabilitation before they’re again functional.
The good news, she said, is that the bone and muscle is good, and that doctors were able to halt the spread of the bacteria.
The Pereyras are now worried that Ruben won’t be able to resume his job as a school bus driver, and that their insurance is not adequate to cover their medical expenses.
An account has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank to help the family.
The trust account is named for account number 7632926452, Alaska Man R.P. 2012 Trust, she said.
Necrotizing fasciitis has been in the news lately after Aimee Copeland, a Georgia college student, lost several limbs to the rare disease.
Pereyra was sent from Juneau to Seattle for the specialized treatment after doctors at Bartlett Regional Hospital suspected the fast-expanding infection might be flesh-eating bacteria.
That wasn’t Ruben Pereyra’s first trip to the hospital however.
He first went to the emergency room on June 18 with swelling in his hand, and was given the painkiller Motrin and sent home. He returned the next day with more swelling and pain, and was given the more powerful painkiller Vicodin and sent home.
On the June 20, she said, he returned to the emergency room with swelling, pain, and so sick that he told doctors “I can’t get out of bed.”
Then they then diagnosed the possible necrotizing fasciitis and sent Pereyra to the Level 1 trauma center at Harborview.
Ana Pereyra said doctors there told her that had Ruben been even a day later in arriving they wouldn’t have been able to save him, let alone his arm.
She said she wants more people to be aware of the little-known disease.
“The doctors said it is rare, but not as rare as you’d think,” she said.
It is caused by naturally occurring bacteria, but it is not clear why it occasionally causes great damage.
It does take a break in the skin to get into the body, and Bartlett spokesman Jim Strader said that’s where the disease can be prevented.
“If you ever get any kind of wound at all, immediately clean it out,” he said.
Any cut, no mater how small, and even bug bites should be treated as at risk of infection, he said.
Pereyra said the cut to his a knuckle on his left hand was relatively minor, about a centimeter, and wasn’t at first recognized as dangerous.
“I asked him, did it bleed a lot, and he said, ‘no, that’s the thing,’” Ana Pereyra said.
She said the cut had been incorrectly first reported as a splinter.
Strader said soap and water are a good way to clean any break to the skin, but antiseptic hand sanitizer can also be used.
“Your skin is your best deterrent against any kind of infection,” he said.
Ruben is now being released from Harborview, but will have to remain in Seattle for a month for daily follow-up treatment, including daily changing of dressings over his skin grafts.
“All of the grafts didn’t “catch,” she said, but enough did to save the arm.
• Contact reporter Pat Forgey at 523-2250 or at patrick.forgey@juneauempire.com.
Comments (12)
Add commentYup
I'm scared now.
Glad he pulled through.
frustrating reporting
Uhh how did he cut it? What was he doing? Was he chopping onions?
Another one for BRH
Way to go again BRH pass out the pain meds and move on. Bet the meds were big bucks too.....
This is becoming more and
This is becoming more and more common in Juneau. I wonder how that bacteria got into Juneau ...
Signs And Symptoms
ecrotizing fasciitis (NF), or just plainly referred to as “flesh eating bacteria,” is a rare type of bacterial infection that causes skin tissue to die. It can spread to other parts of the body, can result in the loss of limbs and may even result in death. Read on for more information about flesh eating bacteria, possible causes and why it is imperative to seek medical attention immediately.
What Is It?
While it may sound like an urban legend passed through office emails, necrotizing fasciitis is a very rare, but very real, disease that can, quite literally, make it appear as if the infected person is having his flesh eaten by ravenous bacteria. However, “flesh eating bacteria,” is not an accurate description of the infection as the skin tissue is not actually eaten by the bacteria. In actuality, the toxins the bacteria release are responsible for the damage done to muscles and skin tissue. This is where the “necrotizing” portion of its name is derived from as the toxins cause the skin to die.
The infection can also lead to critical complications that can be life-threatening. Some of these complications include:
•Shock
•Organ failure
•Loss of limbs due to amputation
•Scarring
Causes And Risk Factors
Necrotizing fasciitis can be caused by various bacteria that typically enter the body through a cut or wound. Group A streptococcus bacterium is a common cause of necrotizing fasciitis, although it is better associated with milder conditions like strep throat. As the infection grows and develops at a rapid pace, it spreads harmful toxins that affect the flesh while cutting off the flow of blood to areas of the body with the end result being the death of flesh and organ failure.
The progression and severity of the infection depends on the infecting organism and how a person’s body responds to it. While necrotizing fasciitis can affect any person at any age, individuals with a compromised immune system are more likely to experience severe reactions. These high-risk individuals include:
•Those with disorders that affect the immune system, such as lupus.
•Individuals with diabetes.
•People suffering from alcoholism or substance abuse.
Signs And Symptoms
Symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis will begin to appear at the point of entry, meaning the location of the cut, wound or area of trauma where the bacteria entered the body. Signs and symptoms that are visible directly on the skin include:
•The center of the affected area can start to turn black, indicating the skin has died.
•A painful, red bump on the skin.
•A wound or bruise that grows rapidly with increasing pain.
•Breaks in the skin that can open and cause ooze to flow out.
Other symptoms of necrotizing fasciitis include:
•Sweating
•Nausea
•Dizziness
•Fever
•Fatigue/feeling weak
•Chills
•Shock
Medical Evaluation
During medical consultation, a physician may first evaluate the affected area and examine the appearance of the skin. A physician may also perform a series of tests to determine if the patient is suffering from necrotizing fasciitis. These tests include:
•Blood tests
•CT scan
•Skin tissue biopsy (a sample of the affected skin tissue is taken for examination)
Treatment
If you suspect you are suffering from necrotizing fasciitis, it is imperative that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent further complications like organ failure, amputation and death. Methods of treatment include:
•A wide array of powerful antibiotics that are administered intravenously (IV).
•Donor immunoglobulin, which is special medication that may be used to ward off the infection.
•Surgical removal of dead tissue and/or amputation to prevent the infection from spreading through the appendages (arms or legs).
•Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in some cases.
Once the infection has been stopped and treated, skin grafts may be utilized to help skin tissues heal or to improve the physical appearance of affected areas.
Prognosis
The severity of the infection and extent of recovery depend on multiple factors:
•How quickly the infection was diagnosed and treated.
•The type of bacteria that caused the infection.
•How quickly the infection was able to spread through the body.
•The effectiveness of the treatment administered.
•The patient’s overall health.
In many cases, skin deformity, permanent scarring and the loss of limbs have been the end result of necrotizing fasciitis. Infected individuals run the risk of dying from the infection if treatment is not administered promptly and properly. To help prevent necrotizing fasciitis, individuals should properly clean and care for all cuts, wounds and other forms of trauma to the skin.
Whatever you do, DO NOT look
Whatever you do, DO NOT look necrotizing fasciitis up on Google images.
" The Pereyras are now
" The Pereyras are now worried that Ruben won't be able to resume his job as a school bus driver.......
An account has been set up at Wells Fargo Bank to help the family.
The trust account is named for account number 7632926452, Alaska Man R.P. 2012 Trust, she said."
I don't want to sound like someone who does not care, but what this story isn't telling people is that this man and his family also own Universal Electronics and Latinos downtown. They go back and forth from California each " season" with a store down there. They need help from us real Juneau residents who cannot even afford our own insurance or have the luxury to own a business?
I will not help anyone that has more than my family does when we have to pay more than $1000 a month just to have medical insurance even before we can even think about seeing a doctor.
I have said enough and will not say anything else on this matter or read any other comments related to this.
Three visits to BRH before someone
finally realized what it was? Gee, can't imagine how stuff spreads through this town. Pills, pills, pills and bills, bills, bills. Way to go BRH!!
Also, thanks L8nalaska for the info. I'll be saving any financial contributions for my true fellow Juneauites...when I can afford it.
@L8nalaska
What do you have against small business owners? Owning a business is a "luxury"? Huh? Maybe he is paying $1,000 per month for insurance as well, did that ever cross your mind? And if his insurance leaves him high and dry, and he loses his bus driving job, he may also lose his business.
If the guy was rolling in wealth, he wouldn't be driving a school bus. Maybe he's doing that just so he can get insurance.
I find your comment abhorrent. And that fact that so many people agreed with you is sad. Smells like racism.
The real issue here that we all should be mindful of, is that everyone deserves affordable healthcare that fully covers these types of incidences. The next infected scratch could be yours.
It could just be because it's
It could just be because it's terrifying so the news networks all pick up on each case that occurs, but it does seem like necrotizing fasciitis is becoming more common. Someone should do a study and figure out a) if this is the case, and b) what could be causing it (rising global temperatures, environmental contaminants, poor diet/health, etc.).
Just playing devil's advocate
Just playing devil's advocate here - not taking a stand one way or the other, BUT - they don't just own a business -
"Ann and Ruben Pereyra, owners of Universal Electronics, were granted a permit to run an Internet lounge and retail shop on the first floor of their recently purchased building, a Juneau landmark on South Franklin Street. The Pereyras bought the building from Juneau Elks Lodge 420 in early October.
I mean - they bought the Elk's Lodge - they OWN the building.... just sayin
I've known two
I have personally known two individuals who contracted necrotizing fasciitis. In both cases it was caused by strep bacteria that just naturally lives on our bodies, and in both cases the individuals had compromised immune systems; one was a serious smoker, and the other a diabetic. In both smokers and diabetics, the small blood vessels get damaged which makes healing and fighting infection difficult.
A healthy person might get a cut or scratch, have it turn red and turn a little tender, but the body fights off that infection. If the body is unable to fight the infection, the wound will fester and the flesh will start to die (aka necrotizing fasciitis)