ROLE OF SYSTEMIC INFLAMMATORY INDICES IN IDENTIFYING SEPSIS IN PICU PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE OF INDIA

<ns7:p>Background Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children, predominantly among critically ill patients admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Early diagnosis has been shown to improve patient prognosis. The objective of this study was to understand the role of systemic inflammatory indices as predictors of sepsis in children admitted to the PICU. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted to compare systemic inflammatory indices between two groups: one with sepsis and another without sepsis. Of the 138 PICU patients, 69 had sepsis and 69 were grouped under non-sepsis. Systemic inflammatory indices were calculated for NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and PIV in both groups and compared. ROC analysis was conducted to measure the predictive value. Results NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, SIRI, and PIV were significant predictors of sepsis among PICU patients. NLR was the best predictor, with an AUC of 1.000 at a cut-off of 1.957, with 100% sensitivity and specificity. SIRI and SII had predictive powers, with AUCs of 0.950 and 0.944, respectively. With a sensitivity of 92.8% and specificity of 89.9%, the optimal cut-off for the SII was found to be 571727.208. Conclusion Systemic inflammatory indices are accurate predictors of sepsis in patients in The PICU, enabling them to diagnose and intervene at an early stage. Their use may reduce pediatric sepsis-related morbidity and mortality by enabling bedside diagnoses.</ns7:p>