Immature granulocyte measurement using the Sysmex XE-2100. Relationship to infection and sepsis

We determined the usefulness of immature granulocyte measurement as a predictor of infection or positive blood culture and compared the results with total WBC count and absolute neutrophil count (ANC). Blood samples from 102 infected and 69 noninfected patients were analyzed using the Sysmex XE-2100 automated blood cell counter (Sysmex, Kobe, Japan). The percentage of immature granulocytes was significantly higher in infected than in noninfected patients and in patients with positive than patients with negative blood cultures. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the percentage of immature granulocytes was a better predictor of infection than the WBC count and comparable to the ANC. Automated immature granulocyte measurements reflect a biologically and clinically relevant phenomenon but are not sensitive enough to be used as screening assays for prediction of infection or bacteremia. However, although infrequently encountered, a percentage of immature granulocytes of more than 3 was a very specific predictor of sepsis and might help expedite microbiologic laboratory evaluation of a subset of patients.