Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry
09:12

Measuring Deformability and Red Cell Heterogeneity in Blood by Ektacytometry

Published on: January 12, 2018

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Prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width/protein and red blood cell distribution width/platelet count

Doha Obed1, Huu H Nguyen1, Mustafa Salim2

  • 1Department of Plastic, Aesthetic, Hand and Reconstructive Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.

Burns : Journal of the International Society for Burn Injuries
|January 23, 2026
PubMed

Insights

The RDW/protein ratio, a simple measure, can predict mortality risk in severe burn patients. This ratio on post-burn days 3 and 7 shows good predictive ability for in-hospital mortality.

Area of Science:

  • Biomarkers in critical care
  • Burn injury outcomes
  • Predictive modeling in medicine

Background:

  • Red cell distribution width (RDW), serum protein, and platelet count (PLT) are linked to adverse outcomes in critical illnesses.
  • Previous studies suggest RDW/protein and RDW/PLT ratios may indicate poor prognosis.
  • The predictive value of these parameters in severe burn injury requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between RDW, serum protein, PLT, and their ratios with in-hospital mortality in severe burn patients.
  • To evaluate the predictive performance of RDW/protein and RDW/PLT ratios for mortality risk assessment post-burn injury.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 288 intensive care burn patients with ≥20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned.
  • Multivariate analysis to identify variables associated with mortality.
  • Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of RDW/protein and RDW/PLT ratios on post-burn days 1, 3, and 7.

Main Results:

  • Overall mortality was 26%; non-survivors were older, more often male, and had higher TBSA burned (49%).
  • RDW, serum protein, and PLT were not independent predictors of mortality.
  • RDW/protein ratios on post-burn days 3 and 7 were significantly associated with in-hospital mortality, with AUC > 0.8 on day 7.

Conclusions:

  • The RDW/protein ratio demonstrates significant predictive ability for in-hospital mortality in severe burn patients.
  • This ratio offers a simple, cost-effective, and valuable tool for mortality risk assessment after burn injury.
  • Routine monitoring of the RDW/protein ratio may aid in early identification of high-risk burn patients.
Abstract

Keywords:
Burn intensive careBurn mortalityBurn survivalProtein levelsRatioRed blood cell distribution width

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