gas phlegmon
- noun
- /ɡæs ˈflɛɡmən/
- NSFW
:
flegmón gaseoso
- Without prompt treatment, gas phlegmon can lead to widespread organ failure and death.
Examples
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Surgeons discovered extensive tissue damage due to gas phlegmon in the patient's leg.
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Bioterrorism experts are concerned about the potential use of gas phlegmon as a weapon.
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The doctor diagnosed gas phlegmon immediately.
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Don't ignore gas phlegmon!
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The patient required immediate surgery to treat the serious infection known as gas phlegmon.
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After identifying symptoms of gas phlegmon, the doctors started aggressive antibiotic therapy.
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In rural areas, gas phlegmon can spread rapidly if untreated, leading to severe complications.
Synonyms
An infection caused by bacteria that quickly destroys soft tissue and makes gas in it
A severe infection in body tissue caused by bacteria that makes gas and destroys it
A severe infection by bacteria that quickly kills muscle, makes gas, and often causes death
A fast, often deadly infection caused by bacteria that kills body tissue and makes gas in the wound
A severe infection that kills body tissue and produces gas, usually caused by bacteria
A severe infection that makes body tissue die quickly, produces gas, and can be fatal
How Severe
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is a straightforward compound of 'gas' (gaseous substance) and 'phlegmon' (soft-tissue infection), so its meaning — a phlegmon involving gas formation in tissues — is directly inferable from the parts. Although technical/medical, it is not idiomatic or metaphorical, so a learner who knows both constituents can reasonably deduce the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Gas phlegmon uses a clear image: gas refers to the pockets of gas that form in the body from bacteria and phlegmon was an old word for a spreading, painful sore. So the name shows it is a very fast, severe 'infection' that fills tissues with gas and can destroy them quickly.