Increased neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts myocardial injury in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery.

BACKGROUND: The neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), has been proposed as potential indicator of cardiovascular events. Our aim was to determine the relationship between NLR and development of myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS).

METHODS: This observational cohort study included 255 consecutive noncardiac surgery patients aged ≥45 years. Electrocardiography recordings and high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hscTnT) levels of the patients were obtained for a period of 3 days postoperatively.

RESULTS: MINS was detected in 30 (11.8%) patients using the cut-off level of ≥14 ng/L for hscTnT. In the MINS group NLR (3.79 ± 0.7 vs. 2.69 ± 0.6, p < 0.000) values were higher than non-NLR group. The NLR to be independently associated with the development of MINS (OR: 11.690; CI: 4.619-29.585, p < 0.000).

CONCLUSIONS: NLR seems to be a simple, easy and cheap tool to predict the development of MINS in patient undergoing non-cardiac surgery.