A Secondary Retrospective Analysis of the Predictive Value of Neutrophil-Reactive Intensity (NEUT-RI) in Septic and Non-Septic Patients in Intensive Care

Abstract

Background: Effective identification and management in the early stages of sepsis are critical for achieving positive outcomes. In this context, neutrophil-reactive intensity (NEUT-RI) emerges as a promising and easily interpretable parameter. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of NEUT-RI in diagnosing sepsis and to evaluate its prognostic significance in distinguishing 28-day mortality outcomes. Materials: This study is a secondary, retrospective, observational analysis. Clinical data upon ICU admission were collected. We enrolled septic patients and a control group of critically ill patients without sepsis criteria. The patients were divided into subgroups based on renal function for biomarker evaluation with 28-day outcomes reported for septic and non-septic patients. Results: A total of 200 patients were included in this study. A significant difference between the “septic” and “non-septic” groups was detected in the NEUT-RI plasma concentration (53.80 [49.65–59.05] vs. 48.00 [46.00–49.90] FI, p p = 0.005). NEUT-RI, PCT, and CRP values were significantly different in patients with “renal failure”. NEUT-RI and PCT at admission in the ICU in the septic group were higher in patients who died (58.80 [53.85–73.10] vs. 53.05 [48.90–57.22], p = 0.005 and 39.56 [17.39–83.72] vs. 3.22 [0.59–32.32], p = 0.002, respectively). Both NEUT-RI and PCT showed a high negative predictive value and low positive predictive value. Conclusions: The inflammatory biomarkers assessed in this study offer valuable support in the early diagnosis of sepsis and could have a possible role in anticipating the outcome. NEUT-RI elevation appears particularly promising for early sepsis detection and severity discrimination upon admission.

Keywords

• sepsis
• neutrophil reactivity (NEUT-RI)
• C-reactive protein
• procalcitonin