Table 1.

Patients’ characteristics

Patients (n=1527)
Age (years)	62 (50–72)
Sex, male	966 (63%)
Comorbidities
Myocardial infarction	118 (8%)
Congestive heart failure	227 (15%)
Peripheral vascular disease	238 (16%)
Cerebrovascular disease	235 (15%)
Dementia	53 (4%)
Chronic pulmonary disease	283 (19%)
Rheumatological disease	87 (6%)
Peptic ulcer disease	116 (8%)
Mild liver disease	126 (8%)
Moderate or severe liver disease	63 (4%)
Diabetes without chronic complications	431 (28%)
Diabetes with chronic compilations	228 (15%)
Hemiplegia or paraplegia	40 (3%)
Renal disease	201 (13%)
Cancer (any malignancy)	330 (22%)
Metastatic solid tumour	80 (5%)
HIV/AIDS	11 (1%)
Charlson score	1 (0–2)
Charlson comorbidity index
0	398 (26%)
1–2	759 (50%)
3–4	286 (19%)
≥5	84 (6%)
Weighted Charlson score	2 (0–4)
Weighted Charlson comorbidity index
0	398 (26%)
1–2	506 (33%)
3–4	330 (22%)
≥5	293 (19%)
Hospital category*
Low volume (<8 NSTI/year)	419 (27%)
High volume (≥8 NSTI/year)	1108 (73%)
Period (year)
2005–2011	694 (45%)
2012–2018	833 (55%)
Other
Septic shock	472 (31%)
Surgery <4 weeks prior to diagnosis of NSTI	260 (17%)

Data are presented as n (%) or median (IQR). Comorbidity diagnoses from 10 years prior until NSTI diagnosis. Each comorbidity was defined as by the Charlson conditions (ICD-10 diagnoses in online supplemental appendix 2). Septic shock was defined as the ICD-10 diagnosis ‘septic shock’ or ‘sepsis’ and a concurrent diagnosis of inotropes (diagnoses and supportive modalities in online supplemental appendix 3).

*Defined as the lowest number of NSTI cases annually treated at one of the three main teaching hospitals in Denmark.

ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases-10; NSTI, necrotising soft-tissue infection.