Role of platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio at the time of arrival to the emergency room as a predictor of short-term mortality in trauma patients with severe trauma team activation

Background: Platelet -to -Lymphocyte ratio (PLR) has been studied as a prognostic factor for various diseases and traumas. This study examined the utility of PLR as a tool for predicting 30 -day mortality in patients experiencing severe trauma. Methods: This study included 139 patients who experienced trauma and fulfilled >= 1 criteria for activation of the hospital's severe trauma team. Patients were divided into non -survivor and survivor groups. Mean PLR values were compared between the groups, the optimal PLR cut-off value was determined, and mortality and survival analyses were performed. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 26.0. The threshold of statistical significance was P<0.05. Results: There was a significant difference in mean (+/- standard deviation) PLR between the non -survivor (n=36) and survivor (n=103) groups (53.4 +/- 30.1 vs. 89.9 +/- 53.3, respectively; P<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an optimal PLR cut-off of 65.35 (sensitivity, 0.621; specificity, 0.694, respectively; area under the ROC curve, 0.742), and Kaplan -Meier survival analysis revealed a significant difference in mortality rate between the two groups. Conclusions: PLR can be calculated quickly and easily from a routine complete blood count, which is often performed in the emergency department for individuals who experience trauma. The PLR is useful for predicting 30 -day mortality in trauma patients with severe trauma team activation.