Chapman reported a simple equation that can help to identify an infectious complication following femoral neck fracture. This is based on the serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and the postoperative day. The authors are from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust and private practice in the UK.
Patient selection: status post surgical repair of femoral neck fracture
Outcome: pneumonia (consolidation on chest imaging), sepsis (positive blood culture), UTI (positive urine culture), surgical site infection (positive culture), clinical diagnosis with antibiotics
Parameters:
(1) number of days since surgery, from 5 to 30
(2) serum CRP in mg/L
threshold for infection =
= 500 / (number of days since surgery)
If serum CRP > (threshold for infection) then an infectious complication is likely.
Performance:
• The sensitivity is 97% and specificity 82%.
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