Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a predictive marker for postoperative wound infection in elderly patients with open limb fractures

Background: Postoperative wound infection in elderly patients with open limb fractures is a common and serious complication in clinical practice, posing significant health risks and treatment burdens to patients. Thus, it is crucial to identify a reliable predictive marker for early intervention and management of infections. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the value of the NLR as a predictive marker for postoperative wound infection in elderly patients with open limb fractures. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 98 patients with open limb fractures admitted to our hospital from March 2020 to March 2023. The patients were divided into an infection group (n=25) and a non-infection group (n=73) based on whether they developed postoperative wound infection. This study aimed to compare the NLR levels between two groups and analyze the predictive value of NLR in postoperative wound infection among patients with open limb fractures. Results: The level of NLR in the infection group was notably higher than that in the non-infected group (P<0.05). NLR had an AUC of 0.982 in predicting postoperative wound infection, with a specificity of 96.00% and a sensitivity of 91.78%. Conclusion: NLR, as a predictive marker for postoperative wound infection in elderly patients with open limb fractures, demonstrates good accuracy and clinical value as an adjunct diagnostic tool. Further research and clinical application can effectively validate its feasibility in clinical practice, thereby offering crucial insights for the prevention and management of wound infections.