THE DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY OF MEAN PLATELET VOLUME (MPV) IN PATIENTS WITH EARLY NEONATAL SEPSIS

Objective: To determine the diagnostic utility of mean platelet volume in patients presenting with early neonatal sepsis. Materials and methods: This validation study was conducted in the Department of the Pediatrics ward, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar. After seeking parental consent, a brief history of Neonatal Sepsis and co-morbidities was obtained. The patient's clinical record was reviewed for the presence of any of the conditions indicated in the exclusion criteria for this study. A questionnaire about the patient’s demographics, disease duration, and treatment records was compiled. Samples were taken and examined of such newborns with consent from the patient's guardians (n=322). 4 ml venous blood was collected from each subject. 2 ml was used for blood culture, and 2 ml was used for Mean Platelet Volume estimation each at hours 0, 24, and 48. Data was collected and analyzed using the SPPS 24. Results: A total of 322 newborns (154 males, 168 females) were enrolled. The Sepsis group as diagnosed by blood culture, had 201 cases while the control group had 121 participants. There was a significant difference (p-value less than 0.05) between the two groups for Mean Platelet Volume. The values for sensitivity, specificity, and negative and positive predictive values as compared to blood culture as the gold standard were 77.58, 55.31, 50.00, and 81.08 percent, respectively. Conclusion: The mean platelet volume has high diagnostic utility in patients with neonatal sepsis.