The roles of early surgery and comorbid conditions on outcomes of severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections

Purpose Severe necrotizing soft-tissue infections (NSTIs) require immediate early surgical treatment to avoid adverse outcomes. This study aims to determine the impact of early surgery and comorbid conditions on the outcomes of NSTIs. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed on all subjects presenting with NSTI at an academic medical center between 2005 and 2016. Patients were identified based on ICD codes. Those under the age of 18 or with intraoperative findings not consistent with NSTI diagnosis were excluded. Results There were 115 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of NSTI with a mean age of 55 ± 18 years; 41% were females and 55% were diabetics. Thirty percent of patients underwent early surgery (