Monocyte distribution width (MDW) as a screening tool for sepsis in the Emergency Department

Objectives: The diagnosis of sepsis in the Emergency Department (ED) is challenging and a reliable biomarker is needed. The current study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of monocyte distribution width (MDW) for the early identification of sepsis in the ED. Methods: We performed a large observational study including consecutive adult patients (≥18 years of age) presenting to the ED between September and November 2019, with an order for Complete Blood Count (CBC) evaluation. A total of 2,215 patients were enrolled and classified based on Sepsis-2 criteria as the control group (1,855), infection group (172), Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS) group (100), and sepsis group (88). Results: MDW levels were higher in patients with sepsis than in all other groups (p<0.001). ROC curve analysis showed an optimal diagnostic accuracy of MDW for sepsis prediction at a cut-off point of 23.5, with an AUC of 0.964, sensitivity and specificity of 0.920 and 0.929, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings encourage further investigation to validate the use of MDW as a screening tool for the early identification of patients at risk of sepsis in the ED. Keywords: Emergency Department (ED); infection; monocytes; monocyte distribution width (MDW); screening; sepsis.