Neutrophil to lymphocte ratio and mean platelet volume may predict the development of the pressure ulcers

Aim: Inflammation may have deleterious effects on tissue healing. Pressure ulcers impair the quality of life of the patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) besides increasing the health costs. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and mean platelet volume (MPV) are simple and readily available markers proinflammatory state. This study aimed to investigate whether measurement of admission NLR and MPV could be useful in identification of the patients who are at elevated risk for the development of the pressure ulcers.Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated 104 patients admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary center. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of pressure ulcers as follows: Patients without pressure ulcers throughout hospitalization and patients who developed pressure ulcers while hospitalized. The two groups were compared with respect to the demographic features and complete blood count parameters at admission.Results: The NLR [8.8 (6.6) vs. 5.3 (2.6), P<0.001], platelet to lymphocyte ratio [322(125) vs. 234(116), P=0.023] and MPV [10.5 (1.5) fl vs. 9.8 (1.1) fl, P<0.001] were significantly higher, and length of ICU stay was significantly longer in patients with pressure ulcers than those without [16.1 (3.8) days vs. 12.5 (2.9) days, P<0.001]. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age (P=0.03), length of ICU stay (P=0.01), NLR (P=0.01) and MPV (P=0.01) were significantly predictive for the presence of pressure ulcers.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that age, length of ICU stay, and NLR, and MPV, which are indicative for the preexisting inflammatory state, are independent predictors for the development of pressure ulcers in patients admitted to the ICU