Massive gas gangrene secondary to occult colon carcinoma

Gas gangrene is a rare but often fatal soft-tissue infection. Because it is uncommon and the classic symptom of crepitus does not appear until the infection is advanced, prompt diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. We present a case report of a middle-aged man who presented with acute onset lower-extremity pain that was initially thought to be due to deep vein thrombosis. After undergoing workup for pulmonary embolism, he was found to have massive gas gangrene of the lower extremity secondary to an occult colon adenocarcinoma and died within hours of presentation from multisystem organ failure.