Outcomes of Purpura FULminans in Adults - The hOPeFUL Study

Purpura fulminans (PF) is a rare life-threatening infectious disease characterized by the association of a sudden and extensive purpura together with acute circulatory failure. Neisseria meningitidis and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most frequently involved microorganisms but other species (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Haemophilus influenzae…) have also been reported. Despite prompt antibiotics administration and intensive care management, the mortality of PF has been reported to be as high as 50% in previous adult series. Additionally, patients surviving to the early phase of PF are exposed to a high risk of serious sequelae related to extensive skin necrosis and acral symmetrical gangrene, which typically requires limb amputations, a potential source of severe handicap in these previously young and healthy patients. Although the clinical features and outcomes of PF have been well studied in the pediatric setting, the amount of available data for adult PF are scarce, often outdated and mainly limited to patients with meningococcal infections. The current study aims at assessing the short and long-term outcomes of adult patients admitted in the intensive care unit for a purpura fulminans. A large multicenter retrospective cohort will be built in order to assess hospital outcomes (i.e., mortality and amputations). Long-term outcomes, including health-related quality variables, will be prospectively assessed among survivors and compared to septic controls (i.e., patients having septic shock non-related to purpura fulminans).

Inclusion criteria

• Patients admitted in the intensive care unit between 2010 and 2016 for an infectious purpura fulminans and discharged alive

Exclusion criteria

• Age < 18 years
• Non infectious purpura
• Infective endocarditis