Usefulness of monocyte distribution width (MDW) in enhancing diagnostic accuracy of infection among severely ill patients presenting to the emergency department

Sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality and continues to pose substantial diagnostic challenges in its early stages. Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW), a parameter automatically integrated into complete blood counts by next-generation haematology analysers, has emerged as a promising biomarker. This study evaluates the diagnostic performance of MDW compared with traditional markers (C-reactive protein and leukocyte count) and clinical scoring systems (SOFA and NEWS) in a cohort of critically ill patients presenting to a hospital emergency department, with the aim of distinguishing those with infection from those whose severity was attributable to other causes.