Use of admission serum lactate and sodium levels to predict mortality in necrotizing soft-tissue infections

Abstract

Hypothesis: Simple admission laboratory values can be used to classify patients with necrotizing soft-tissue infection (NSTI) into high and low mortality risk groups. Design: Chart review. Setting: Public teaching hospital. Patients: All patients with NSTI from 1997 through 2006. Interventions: Variables analyzed included medical history, admission vital signs, laboratory values, and microbiologic findings. Data analyses included univariate and classification and regression tree analyses. Main Outcome Measure: Mortality. Results: One hundred twenty-four patients were identified with NSTI. The overall mortality rate was 21 of 124 (17%). Onunivariate analysis, factors associated with mortality included a history of cancer (P=.03), intravenous drug abuse (P