Descending necrotizing mediastinitis is a severe, fulminant, life-threatening bacterial infection of the mediastinum. Even though improvements in diagnostics and treatment were achieved, the mortality rate remain shigh. Contrast-enhanced CT of chest and neck is the diagnostic gold standard. Radical debridement and drainage of the mediastinum should be considered the primary therapeutic target. The authors present a complicated case of a female patient with cervical necrotizing fasciitis and descending necrotizing mediastinitis. She was initially treated for a deep neck infection at the department of otorhinolaryngology. Surgical treatment, antibiotics, and intensive care became an integral part of the therapy after the transfer to the department of thoracic surgery. The authors had to face various complications with tracheostomy and extensively debrided soft tissues in the neck region. That is why the patient underwent repeated surgeries during several hospital stays, with an overall duration of treatment reaching 220 days.
Keywords: deep neck infection; descending necrotizing mediastinitis; tracheostomy.