Emergency Medicine Commons^™

Inadequate Sensitivity Of Laboratory Risk Indicator To Rule Out Necrotizing Fasciitis In The Emergency Department, Elizabeth Burner, Sean Henderson, Guenevere Burke, Jeffrey Nakashioya, Jerome R. Hoffman

Emergency Medicine Faculty Publications

Introduction: Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a life-threatening illness, particularly when surgical debridement is delayed. The Laboratory Risk Indicator for Necrotizing Fasciitis (LRINEC) score was developed to identify patients at higher risk for NF. Despite limited information in this regard, the LRINEC score is often used to "rule out" NF if negative. We describe the sensitivity of the LRINEC score in emergency department (ED) patients for the diagnosis of NF.

Methods: We conducted a chart review of ED patients in whom coding of hospital discharge diagnoses included NF. We employed standard methods to minimize bias. We used laboratory data to …