Early Warning Score: A Novel Clinical Score to Stratify Risk in Febrile Thrombocytopenia

Background Febrile thrombocytopenia is a frequently encountered clinical condition especially in regions prone to infectious diseases such as dengue malaria and leptospirosis. Recent evidence suggests that relying solely on platelet levels may be insufficient for predicting outcomes including need for platelet transfusions. To address this gap clinical risk stratification systems like the Early Warning Score EWS have been developed to incorporate additional parameters including vital signs and organ system involvement to more accurately assess risk and guide therapeutic interventions.Aim To validate the Early Warning Score EWS as a tool for risk stratification in patients with febrile thrombocytopenia with the goal of optimizing therapeutic interventions.Methods This retrospective study was conducted on 50 patients diagnosed with febrile thrombocytopenia. Data was collected on platelet count vital signs pulse temperature respiratory rate blood pressure and complications in the neurological respiratory hematological hepatic and renal systems. EWS was applied to stratify patients into risk categories and data analysis was performed.Results The mean age of participants was 35.5plusmn13.18 years with 58 males. The mean clinical EWS was 12.26plusmn3.741 with 6 patients classified as low risk 76 as moderate risk and 18 as high risk. The overall survival rate was 90 with patients who died exhibiting significantly higher EWS 19.67plusmn4.163 compared to those who survived 11.79plusmn3.216 P lt0.002.Conclusion The findings support the use of the EWS over platelet count alone in the management of febrile thrombocytopenia as it provides more effective risk stratification and helps reduce unnecessary platelet transfusions. Patients in higher risk categories based on the EWS had poorer outcomes demonstrating the utility of this system in clinical practice.