Monocyte Distribution Width (MDW) as a useful and cost-effective biomarker for sepsis prediction

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition and a major cause of hospital mortality worldwide. This studyinvestigated the diagnostic utility of monocyte mean volume (MONO MEAN-V), monocyte distribution width(MDW), monocyte mean conductivity (MONO MEAN-C), and monocyte standard deviation conductivity (MONOSd-C) for sepsis, compared to conventional markers.Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in two centers, enrolling adult patients classified into threegroups: sepsis, septic shock, and febrile. Blood was drawn from septic patients on days 1, 3, and 5 of admission.MDW and other inflammatory parameters were measured in all patients.Results: Patients with sepsis or septic shock exhibited significantly elevated MONO MEAN-V, MDW, and MONOMEAN-C and lower MONO Sd-C compared to febrile patients. Among the biomarkers evaluated, MDW emergedas a reliable predictor of sepsis. A cut-off MDW value of 25.1 on day 1 demonstrated optimal diagnostic performance,with an area under the ROC curve of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.91), sensitivity of 75%, and specificity of 91.2%.Conclusions: MDW appears to be a cost-effective, rapid marker for sepsis detection, performing at least as effectivelyas existing biomarkers. Our findings corroborate other published studies, highlighting MDW’s potential toenhance early sepsis recognition.