Predictive ability of the leukocyte-glucose index for detecting surgical site infections in patients with acute appendicitis

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the most common postoperative complications in acute appendicitis (AA). At present, there is a paucity of tools to predict its onset in early stages.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive ability of the leukocyte-glucose index (LGI) for detecting SSIs in patients with AA.
Material and methods: We conducted an analytical and retrospective diagnostic test research study based on 500 medical records of patients with AA, of which 100 developed SSI. The LGI values were evaluated and their diagnostic performance was calculated using ROC curves, sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios.
Results: The area under the curve (AUC) for LGI was 0.863 (95% CI: 0.823-0.904, p < 0.001), and a cutoff point of 1.714 was determined, with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 79.5%. The positive post-test probability was 50% and the negative post-test probability was 6%.
Conclusions: The LGI exhibited good performance as a predictor of SSI in AA. The simplicity and availability of this tool make it a useful asset in healthcare practice. Yet, the results of this study must be interpreted within the local clinical and epidemiological context.