PREDICTIVE EFFECTS OF FIRST ERYTHROCYTE AND THROMBOCYTE VOLUME INDICES ON MORTALITY OF GERIATRIC PATIENTS WITH SEPSIS HOSPITALIZED IN INTENSIVE CARE UNITS

Introduction: Sepsis is a common reason for hospitalization in the intensive care unit and a cause of increased mortality, especially among elderly patients. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between erythrocyte and platelet indices and mortality of elderly patients admitted to the intensive care unit due to sepsis. Materials and Methods: This study was retrospectively performed in patients with >= 65 years of sepsis who were admitted to the intensive care unit. Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, red cell distribution width (RDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), white blood cell and platelet count results, and demographic and clinical features were compared between survivors and non-survivors. Results: RDW, MPV, PDW, and C-reactive protein were found to be significantly higher in the non-survivors group than survivor group (p < 0.001). We also determined that platelet and hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in the non-survivors group than survivor group (p < 0.001). In the estimation of mortality, the cut-off value was >= 16.3% for RDW, >= 10 fL for MPV, >= 11.6% for PDW, <= 281 x10(3)/mu L for platelets, <= 9.8 g/dL for hemoglobin, and >= 86 mg/L (p = 0.0001) for C-reactive protein. Conclusion: Increasing counts for red cell distribution width, mean platelet volume, and platelet distribution width and decreasing counts for platelets and hemoglobin for elderly patients admitted to the intensive care unit with sepsis may alert intensive care specialists to estimate mortality.