Immature granulocytes index as early marker of sepsis

IntroductionSepsis induces the recruitment of immature neutrophils into the circulation. An immature granulocyte percentage (IG%) count greater than 3% has been shown to be an indicator for the risk of sepsis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the IG% as predictor of sepsis compared to blood culture results and sepsis diagnostic confirmation. MethodsThe study included individuals (n=301) of both sexes aged 18years who underwent Hospital SAo Lucas examinations between January and November 2017. For all the patients, IG%, as well as blood culture results, were evaluated. All examinations were obtained from Clinical Laboratory database. Data were analyzed through the SPSS program version 18.0. ResultsThere was statistical association between blood culture and IG% results (P=0.009) and between sepsis confirmation and IG% on Pearson chi-square test (P<0.001). An IG% cutoff point of 2.0% was able to exclude sepsis based on clinical diagnosis with a specificity of 90.9% and a sensitivity of 38.5%. The cutoff value in ROC analyses of IG% based on blood culture results was 0.3% and 0.4% based on clinical diagnosis. ConclusionOur study demonstrated that IG% <2.0% are helpful on the exclusion of sepsis diagnosis with a very high specificity (90.9%). The IG% is a useful additional marker for sepsis diagnosis allowing the early initiation of therapy and better possibilities of recovery.