What Researchers Did
Researchers presented a case report of paediatric cervicofacial necrotizing fasciitis and reviewed a 10-year national paediatric inpatient database (Kids' Inpatient Database) from 1997 and 2006.
What They Found
They found that the relative risk of paediatric necrotizing fasciitis (NF) discharge increased by 1.4 times from 1997 to 2006, with the average age at diagnosis rising from 8.05 to 11.5 years. Furthermore, deaths associated with NF increased from 3.9% to 5.4% during this period, and in 2006, the odds of death were 15.1 times higher for paediatric patients diagnosed with NF.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it utilized a national paediatric database from the United States.
Study Limitations
The study's reliance on a retrospective database review using ICD codes may be subject to coding inaccuracies and limitations in capturing comprehensive clinical details.