Differences in sepsis from skin and soft tissue infections among patients with vs. without mental health disorders

Among 57 LIJ ED patients with dermatologic-origin sepsis (2018–2019), lower-extremity infection and sacral decubitus ulcer sources were more common without mental health disorders (p = 0.045; p = 0.004).

• Why it matters: Mental health conditions may affect how sepsis is recognized and managed, but it is unclear whether dermatologic sepsis outcomes or care quality differ by mental health status.
• What they did: Using 2018–2019 ED sepsis quality database data, the study compared characteristics, infection sources, and sepsis care quality between dermatologically septic patients with vs. without mental health disorders using univariate and multivariate analyses.
• The result: No outcome differences reached statistical significance, though mechanical ventilation trended lower (p = 0.141) and 3-hour bundle adherence trended higher (p = 0.11) in patients with mental health disorders.

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