Necrotizing fasciitis attended in the Emergency Department in a tertiary Hospital: Evaluation of the LRINEC scale

Abstract

Aim: To describe mortality and complications of patients seen in the emergency room, diagnosed with necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI) and the correlation of such complications with the Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing fasciitis scale (LRINEC).

Methods: Retrospective observational study including patients with a diagnosis of NSTI in the emergency room of a tertiary hospital over 7 years. The results are shown as median, interquartile range and absolute range for quantitative variables. In the case of qualitative variables, the results are shown as absolute and relative frequency. The comparison between the categories of the LRINEC scale was performed through a post-hoc comparison from a non-parametric ANOVA analysis. Comparisons between LRINEC groups in the qualitative variables were performed using Fisher's Exact test.

Results: 24 patients with a mean age of 51.9 years were identified. The LRINEC scale was used on 21 patients: in 10, the value indicated low risk (<6), in 4 it indicated intermediate risk (6 or 7) and in 7 it indicated high risk (≥8). The amputation rate in patients with low, intermediate and high risk was 10%, 25% and 66% respectively with a mortality of 4.2%. There was an increase in hospital stay between the low and high level of the scale (p=0,007).

Conclusions: In general, a change in the prognosis between the medium and high levels of the LRINEC scale could not be recorded, but was recorded in hospital stay between the low and the high level, practically tripling the median of days of hospital stay.

Keywords: Amputación; Amputation; Infección necrosante de partes blandas; Mortalidad; Mortality; Necrotizing soft tissue infection.