Eosinopenia is a reliable marker of sepsis on admission to medical intensive care units
2008

Eosinopenia as a Marker for Sepsis in ICU Patients

Sample size: 177 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Abidi Khalid, Khoudri Ibtissam, Belayachi Jihane, Madani Naoufel, Zekraoui Aicha, Zeggwagh Amine Ali, Abouqal Redouane

Primary Institution: Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco

Hypothesis

The study aims to assess the value of eosinopenia in differentiating sepsis-related conditions from other noninfection causes of SIRS in ICU patients.

Conclusion

Eosinopenia is a good diagnostic marker in distinguishing between noninfection and infection, but is a moderate marker in discriminating between SIRS and infection in critically ill patients.

Supporting Evidence

  • Eosinopenia showed a higher sensitivity and specificity compared with CRP in the diagnosis of sepsis on admission to the ICU.
  • Eosinophils at <50 cells/mm3 yielded a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 91%.
  • The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for eosinophils was 0.89, indicating good diagnostic performance.

Takeaway

Eosinopenia is when there are very few eosinophils in the blood, and it can help doctors tell if someone is sick with an infection when they arrive at the hospital.

Methodology

A prospective study of consecutive adult patients admitted to a 12-bed medical ICU, measuring eosinophils at admission and classifying patients based on their condition.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in diagnosis classification as it relied on clinical criteria and microbiological evidence.

Limitations

Eosinophil count and CRP value were only collected on the day of ICU admission, limiting the ability to evaluate prognostic value over time.

Participant Demographics

Mean age of 42 years, with 57% male participants.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.002

Confidence Interval

95% CI, 0.83 to 0.94

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/cc6883

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