Efficacy of Neutrophil Lymphocyte Stress Factor in Diagnosis of Sepsis and Prediction of Mortality in Septic Patients Admitted to the ICU

Abstract

Sepsis is a major public health concern. It is among the most common reasons for admission to intensive care units (ICUs) throughout the world. Severe sepsis and septic shock are associated with 30-60% mortality rate which is very high compared to other common diseases, such as myocardial infarction or breast cancer. Sepsis is now defined as a "life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated host response to infection". Septic shock is now defined as a "subset of sepsis where underlying circulatory and cellular/metabolic abnormalities are profound enough to substantially increase mortality". Clinical criteria identifying such condition include the need for vasopressors to obtain a mean arterial pressure (MAP) ≥65 mmHg and an increase in lactate concentration >2 mmol/L, despite adequate fluid resuscitation. An important factor in optimizing survival rates is the speed of diagnosis, allowing rapid, effective intervention. However, diagnosing sepsis is not always straightforward, especially in critically ill patients who often have complex ongoing disease processes. The traditional approach to sepsis diagnosis was based on clinical signs and symptoms (or markers) of sepsis, such as fever, tachycardia and tachypnea, supported by relevant microbiological data. More recently