Clinical Value of Prognostic Nutritional Index and Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio in Prediction of the Development of Sepsis-Induced Kidney Injury

BACKGROUND: Sepsis-related acute kidney injury (S-AKI) is a frequent complication of hospitalized patients and is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Early prediction and detection remain conducive to optimizing treatment strategies and limiting further insults. This study was aimed at evaluating the potential predictive value of the combined prognostic nutrition index (PNI) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) to predict the risk of AKI in septic patients. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 1238 adult patients with sepsis who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2015 to June 2021 were enrolled. Patients were divided into two groups: the non-AKI group (n = 731) and the S-AKI group (n = 507). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to screen the independent predictive factors of S-AKI. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of PNI and NLR. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age, chronic liver disease, cardiovascular disease, respiratory rate (RR), white blood cells (WBC), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CRE), international normalized ratio (INR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and prognostic nutrition index (PNI) were independent prognostic factors of S-AKI. In the three models, the adjusted OR of PNI for S-AKI was 0.802 (0.776-0.829), 0.801 (0.775-0.829), and 0.717 (0.666-0.772), while that of NLR was 1.094 (1.078-1.111), 1.097 (1.080-1.114), and 1.044 (1.016-1.072), respectively. In addition, the area under the ROC curve of the PNI plus NLR group was significantly greater than that of the CRE plus BUN group (0.801, 95% CI: 0.775-0.827 vs. 0.750, 95% CI: 0.722-0.778, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PNI and NLR have been identified as readily available and independent predictors in septic patients with S-AKI. PNI, in combination with NLR, is of vital significance for early warning and efficient intervention of S-AKI and is superior to combined BUN and CRE.