Descending necrotizing mediastinitis complicating deep neck abscesses: clinical features and prognostic assessment in 45 ICU patients

To describe the clinical features and identify mortality risk factors in descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) complicating deep neck abscesses (DNA) among patients admitted to the ICU.

A retrospective analysis was conducted on consecutive patients admitted to the ICU of a tertiary care public hospital. Data were collected from July 2017 to July 2024. A bivariate analysis of variables, along with a multiple logistic regression model, were performed to identify mortality risk factors.

Forty-five patients with DNA complicated by DNM were admitted to the ICU, of whom 29 (58%) were men. The mean age was 49.8 ± 14 years. All underwent emergency neck and mediastinum debridement. Forty-one (91%) were admitted directly from the operating room. All DNAs were of odontogenic origin. In 36 patients (80%), the mediastinal infection extended below the tracheal carina. Thirty-nine patients (86.6%) required mechanical ventilation, and 25 (55.5%) presented with septic shock. The in-hospital mortality rate was 33.3%. Risk factors for mortality in the bivariate analysis included the total SOFA (Sequential Organ Failure Assessment) score, individual SOFA components (respiratory, hematologic, and cardiovascular), SAPS-3 (Simplified Acute Physiology Score-3), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio. In the multivariate analysis, the number of neck surgical debridements performed during ICU stay and the SOFA respiratory component were independent predictors of mortality.

DNM complicating a DNA is a severe condition frequently associated with septic shock and multi-organ failure. Impaired oxygenation at admission and the number of neck wound debridements significantly influenced patient outcomes.