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Updated: May 30, 2026
Characterization of Human Monocyte Subsets by Whole Blood Flow Cytometry Analysis
Published on: October 17, 2018
Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) as a useful and cost-effective biomarker for sepsis prediction
Dimitrios Theodoridis1, Angeliki Tsifi2, Emmanouil Magiorkinis3
1Hematology Laboratory, Konstantopoulio General Hospital, Nea Ionia - Greece.
Background:
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide. This study investigated the diagnostic utility of monocyte mean volume (MONO MEAN-V), monocyte distribution width (MDW), monocyte mean conductivity (MONO MEAN-C), and monocyte standard deviation conductivity (MONO Sd-C) for sepsis, compared to conventional markers.
Methods:
A prospective cohort study was conducted in two centers, enrolling adult patients classified into three groups: sepsis, septic shock, and febrile. Blood was drawn from septic patients on days 1, 3, and 5 of admission. MDW and other inflammatory parameters were measured in all patients.
Results:
Patients with sepsis or septic shock exhibited significantly elevated MONO MEAN-V, MDW, and MONO MEAN-C and lower MONO Sd-C compared to febrile patients. Among the biomarkers evaluated, MDW emerged as a reliable predictor of sepsis. A cut-off MDW value of 25.1 on day 1 demonstrated optimal diagnostic performance, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.91), sensitivity of 75%, and specificity of 91.2%.
Conclusions:
MDW appears to be a cost-effective, rapid marker for sepsis detection, performing at least as effectively as existing biomarkers. Our findings corroborate other published studies, highlighting MDW's potential to enhance early sepsis recognition.
