Exploratory Study of Raised Serum Lactate as a Marker of Necrotizing Fasciitis

National Health Service, United Kingdom

Status: Completed

Conditions: Fasciitis, Necrotizing

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01739959

WPH/NF/2000-2010

Details and patient eligibility

About

The investigators examined the hypothesis that serum lactate is raised in early necrotizing fasciitis to a much greater extent than in other differential diagnoses, such as severe cellulitis, and therefore provides a diagnostic indicator.

Full description

A prospective comparison of serum lactate levels at referral to the Plastic Surgery team to the 'gold standard' test of histology at initial surgical debridement, looking at 53 consecutive patients referred with suspected necrotizing fasciitis to a single surgeon at one institution between 2000 and 2010.

Enrollment: 53 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Referral to one consultant (Mr A Armstrong) at one institution (Wexham Park Hospital) with a suspected diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis between September 2000 and September 2010

Exclusion criteria

• Nil

Trial design

53 participants in 2 patient groups

Necrotizing fasciitis proven

Description:

Histological evidence of necrotizing fasciitis at initial surgical debridement

Not necrotizing fasciitis

Description:

A composite of those with no histological tissue necrosis at initial surgical debridement, and those clinically judged not to be a necrotizing infection who therefore did not undergo surgery.