{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T09:30:01Z","timestamp":1770283801265,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"BMJ","content-domain":{"domain":["bmj.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["BMJ Case Reports"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2017,9,25]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Postoperative infections are one of the most common complications in general surgery, and while rates have reduced with the routine administration of perioperative antibiotics, around 5% of patients undergoing a surgical procedure will develop an infective complication.<jats:sup>1<\/jats:sup> The Gram-positive, obligate anaerobe, <jats:italic>Clostridium perfringens<\/jats:italic>, is a well-known pathogen that forms part of both the environmental and gastrointestinal flora.<jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup> While more commonly associated with food poisoning, anaerobic cellulitis and traumatic gas gangrene, rare cases of spontaneous non-traumatic gas gangrene of abdominal viscera have also been recorded.<jats:sup>3<\/jats:sup> Although potentially treatable with appropriate antibiotic cover, cases of <jats:italic>C. perfringens<\/jats:italic> can rapidly progress into fulminant and fatal sepsis.<jats:sup>4<\/jats:sup> Moreover, the timing of symptom onset postoperatively can vary significantly, reports ranging from hours to days.<jats:sup>5 6<\/jats:sup> We report a case of <jats:italic>C. perfringens-<\/jats:italic>induced septic shock following elective bowel resection.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1136\/bcr-2017-221980","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,9]],"date-time":"2017-10-09T09:11:22Z","timestamp":1507540282000},"page":"bcr-2017-221980","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1136\/crossmarkpolicy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Rare postoperative complication: <i>Clostridium perfringens<\/i> septic shock following elective abdominal surgery"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"2017","author":[{"given":"Michael","family":"Bath","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Surgery, Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, Bedford, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mark","family":"McKelvie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Khalid","family":"Canna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of General Surgery, Bedford Hospital NHS Trust, Bedford, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2017,10,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"2025082702125399000_2017.oct07_1.bcr-2017-221980.1","unstructured":"Guidance and guidelines NICE. 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