Critical care : the official journal of the Critical Care Forum
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Necrotizing soft tissue infections (NSTI) are rapidly progressing and life-threatening conditions that require prompt diagnosis. However, differentiating NSTI from other non-necrotizing skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) remains challenging. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of the biochemical analysis of soft tissue infectious fluid in distinguishing NSTIs from non-necrotizing SSTIs. ⋯ Biochemical analysis and EBF criteria demonstrated diagnostic performances ranging from acceptable to outstanding for NSTI when analyzing soft tissue infectious fluid. These findings provide valuable diagnostic insights into the recognition of NSTI. Further research is required to validate these findings.