Prognostic value of using neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio in patients with burn injury for the diagnosis of sepsis and bacteraemia

Objective: Despite the progress in the treatment of burn injuries, the mortality rate among seriously ill patients still remains high nowadays. The main causes of fatal cases with extensive deep burns are generalized infectious complications, the major of which is sepsis. According to the authors, 25%–85% of those who died of burn injuries in later periods, died from sepsis. The frequency and severity of infectious complications in patients with burn injuries requires an accurate diagnosis of infection that will determine the tactics of therapeutic and surgical treatment of such patients (Di Lonardo A. et al., 1993). However, the clinical diagnosis of wound infection in patients with burn injuries is quite difficult. Materials and methods: The clinical material included 188 patients with burn injuries. The average age of those patients ranged from 20 to 59 years. Men - 98 (52.1%), women - 90 (47.9%). The survey was conducted from April 2014 to July 2016. Results: In our opinion, the strength of NLR (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio) is the possibility of implementing this parameter simply by using already available biomarkers (neutrophil count and lymphocyte count). Therefore, this ratio is easy to integrate in clinical practice and cost effective. Conclusion: The application of NLR for the diagnosis of sepsis in patients with burn injuries is the option of choice, since its determination requires only a general blood test.