Related Experiment Videos
[Total neutrophils and age as prognostic factors of meningococcal sepsis]
J Casado Flores1, J García Pérez, A Valdivielso
1Departamento de Pediatría de la Facultad de Medicina, Hospital Niño Jesús, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Abstract:
Meningococcal sepsis is a frequent disease in our population with a bad prognosis even in a few hours. The search for easy and fast to obtain criteria of severity is essential decrease in order to the mortality rates. We have studied in 56 patients ranged from two months to six years, with bacteriological confirmation of meningococcal sepsis, the clinical and analytical parameters at admission, in order to find those parameters with a better correlation with the severity of the process. Global mortality was 25%. Eleven out of 21 children (52%) with less than 2,000 neutrophils in peripheral blood at the time of admission died, while only three died in the 35 resting group (p less than 0.01). When it was associated with a small age, less than two years, mortality raised up to 60%. In our series, the prognosis based upon the total neutrophils at admission, can be compared with that obtained from the five parameters of severity from Sthiem-Samrosch, that take an hour to be obtained. Absolute neutrophil count and age, can be obtained at the time of admission assessing the severity of the disease in short time.
Insights
Low neutrophil counts and young age in children with meningococcal sepsis indicate a poor prognosis. These simple markers at admission can quickly assess disease severity and guide treatment decisions.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Hematology
Context:
- Meningococcal sepsis presents a significant mortality risk, necessitating rapid severity assessment.
- Early identification of high-risk patients is crucial for improving outcomes.
- Existing severity criteria can be time-consuming to obtain.
Purpose:
- To identify simple, readily available clinical and analytical parameters for predicting meningococcal sepsis severity.
- To correlate admission parameters with patient outcomes, specifically mortality.
- To compare the prognostic value of these parameters with established severity scores.
Summary:
- A study of 56 children with confirmed meningococcal sepsis found that an absolute neutrophil count below 2,000/µL at admission was associated with significantly higher mortality (52% vs. 9%, p<0.01).
- Concomitant young age (under two years) further increased mortality risk to 60%.
- These findings suggest that absolute neutrophil count and age are strong, rapid predictors of severity, comparable to longer assessments.
Impact:
- Provides clinicians with easily accessible indicators for immediate risk stratification in pediatric meningococcal sepsis.
- Enables faster clinical decision-making and resource allocation for critically ill children.
- Potentially reduces mortality rates by facilitating timely and appropriate interventions.