Table 1.
Relation of patient and disease characteristics with mortality
| Characteristic | Total, n (%) | Mortality, n (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Pa | ||
| 192 (100) | 53 (27.6) | 139 (72.4) | ||
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 127 (66.1) | 34 (64.2) | 93 (66.9) | 0.718 |
| Female | 65 (33.9) | 19 (35.8) | 46 (33.1) | |
| Age (years) | ||||
| Mean (SD) | 61.2 (15.1) | 65.7 (14.1) | 59.5 (15.2) | 0.006 |
| < 60 | 87 (45.3) | 15 (28.3) | 72 (51.8) | 0.003 |
| ≥ 60 | 105 (54.7) | 38 (71.7) | 67 (48.2) | |
| Diagnosis | ||||
| Necrotizing fasciitis | 153 (79.7) | 44 (83.0) | 109 (78.4) | 0.479 |
| Fournier's gangrene | 39 (20.3) | 9 (17.0) | 30 (21.6) | |
| Localization | ||||
| Lower extremity | 137 (71.4) | 39 (73.6) | 98 (70.5) | 0.673 |
| Genital/perineal/gluteal | 74 (38.5) | 24 (45.3) | 50 (36.0) | 0.236 |
| Trunk | 40 (20.8) | 14 (26.4) | 26 (18.7) | 0.240 |
| Retroperitonealb | 4 (2.1) | 3 (5.7) | 1 (0.7) | 0.065 |
| Upper extremityb | 10 (5.2) | 3 (5.7) | 7 (5.0) | 1.000 |
| Head/neck | 1 (0.5) | 1 (100.0) | 0 (0.0) | n.d |
| Multiple localizations | 56 (29.2) | 23 (43.4) | 33 (23.7) | 0.007 |
| Initial signs and symptoms | ||||
| Sepsis at admission | 132 (68.8) | 41 (77.4) | 91 (65.5) | 0.112 |
| Positive blood culturec | 69 (44.8) | 30 (65.2) | 39 (36.1) | 0.001 |
| Leucocyte count, mean (SD) | 18.4 (8.3) | 19.3 (9.8) | 18.0 (7.7) | 0.454 |
| CRP, mean (SD) | 259.4 (138.4) | 236.7 (141.0) | 268.3 (136.8) | 0.156 |
| LRINECd, mean (SD) | 7.1 (2.8) | 7.3 (2.9) | 7.1 (2.8) | 0.556 |
| Modified LRINECe, mean (SD) | 10.2 (3.3) | 10.4 (3.4) | 10.2 (3.3) | 0.754 |
| Comorbidities | ||||
| Number, mean (SD) | 2.8 (1.6) | 3.0 (1.5) | 2.7 (1.6) | 0.206 |
| < 3 | 95 (49.5) | 20 (37.7) | 75 (54.0) | 0.044 |
| ≥ 3 | 97 (50.5) | 33 (62.3) | 64 (46.0) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 93 (48.4) | 27 (50.9) | 66 (47.5) | 0.668 |
| Vascular diseasesf | 58 (30.2) | 16 (30.2) | 42 (30.2) | 0.997 |
| Renal diseases | 52 (27.1) | 16 (30.2) | 36 (25.9) | 0.550 |
| Cardiac diseases | 75 (39.1) | 25 (47.2) | 50 (36.0) | 0.155 |
| Liver diseases | 32 (16.7) | 15 (28.3) | 17 (12.2) | 0.008 |
| Arterial hypertension | 115 (59.9) | 26 (49.1) | 89 (64.0) | 0.058 |
| History of stroke | 15 (7.8) | 5 (9.4) | 10 (7.2) | 0.605 |
| Alcohol abuse | 29 (15.1) | 8 (15.1) | 21 (15.1) | 0.998 |
| Substance abuse (i.v.)b | 10 (5.2) | 5 (9.4) | 5 (3.6) | 0.142 |
| Psychiatric diseasesb | 17 (8.9) | 2 (3.8) | 15 (10.8) | 0.161 |
| Malignant diseases | 29 (15.1) | 12 (22.6) | 17 (12.2) | 0.072 |
| Immunosuppression | 28 (14.6) | 12 (22.6) | 16 (11.5) | 0.051 |
For calculation of percentages, the number of patients in each column (i.e., in the total cohort and in subgroups with and without mortality) was set to 100%
CRP C-reactive protein, i.v. intravenous, n.d. not determined, SD standard deviation
aCharacteristics of subgroups with and without mortality were compared with Chi-squared test for categorical variables, with Mann-Whitney-U test for continuous variables in two categories and with Kruskal-Wallis test for linear variables in three categories. Significant differences are highlighted in bold
bExact Fisher-t-test
cBlood cultures were taken before initiation of antibiotics
dLRINEC: Laboratory Risk Indicator for NECrotizing fasciitis
eThe modified LRINEC could be calculated in 131 participants (n = 61: missing data)
fVascular diseases comprised peripheral arterial occlusive disease, chronic venous insufficiency, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism