Table 1.
Baseline characteristics for the entire cohort of patients with necrotizing soft tissue infections and for the septic shock and nonshock (no sepsis, sepsis, severe sepsis) subgroups
| Entire cohort (n = 135) | Nonshock (n = 39) | Septic shock (n = 96) | p | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 61 (52–69) | 58 (48–70) | 62 (54–69) | 0.426 |
| Sex, male | 84 (62) | 24 (62) | 60 (63) | 0.917 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26 (23–31) | 24 (22–31) | 27 (25–32) | 0.017 |
| Chronic disease | ||||
| Chronic disease | 86 (64) | 28 (72) | 58 (60) | 0.213 |
| Diabetes | 30 (22) | 10 (26) | 20 (21) | 0.543 |
| Liver cirrhosis | 5 (4) | 1 (3) | 4 (4) | 0.655 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 12 (9) | 6 (15) | 6 (6) | 0.104 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 58 (43) | 21 (54) | 37 (39) | 0.103 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 14 (10) | 3 (8) | 11 (12) | 0.757 |
| Peripheral vascular disease | 20 (15) | 8 (21) | 12 (13) | 0.235 |
| Immune deficiency/AIDS | 3 (2) | 2 (5) | 1 (1) | 0.200 |
| Malignancy | 15 (11) | 3 (8) | 12 (13) | 0.553 |
| Rheumatoid disease | 10 (7) | 2 (5) | 8 (8) | 0.723 |
| Active smoker | 40 (30) | 9 (23) | 31 (32) | 0.366 |
| High alcohol consumptiona | 19 (14) | 3 (8) | 16 (17) | 0.191 |
| Steroid treatment | 16 (12) | 4 (10) | 12 (13) | 0.277 |
| Immunosuppressing drugs | 12 (9) | 3 (8) | 9 (9) | 0.281 |
| Primary site of infection | ||||
| Head/neck | 21 (15) | 6 (16) | 15 (16) | 0.972 |
| Upper extremity | 15 (11) | 3 (8) | 12 (13) | 0.553 |
| Lower extremity | 47 (35) | 13 (33) | 34 (35) | 0.818 |
| Chest | 5 (4) | 2 (5) | 3 (3) | 0.626 |
| Abdomen | 11 (8) | 2 (5) | 9 (9) | 0.510 |
| Genital/perineum | 36 (27) | 13 (33) | 23 (24) | 0.264 |
| Microorganism | ||||
| Positive cultures | 100 (74) | 25 (64) | 75 (78) | 0.128 |
| Polymicrobial | 54 (40) | 13 (33) | 41 (43) | 0.339 |
| Beta-hemolytic streptococcus | 46 (34) | 9 (23) | 37 (39) | 0.120 |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 14 (10) | 2 (5) | 12 (13) | 0.350 |
| Anaerobes | 23 (17) | 9 (23) | 14 (15) | 0.312 |
| Gram negative rods | 25 (19) | 6 (15) | 19 (20) | 0.632 |
| Other | 15 (11) | 5 (13) | 10 (10) | 0.764 |
Values denote median (interquartile range) or number (%). Differences between the shock and nonshock group were tested using Mann-Whitney U or χ2-test/Fisher’s exact test
aHigh alcohol consumption: >14 units of alcohol/week (women); >21 units of alcohol/week (men)