Neutrophil CD64, CD66b, and Serum Thioredoxin as Early Biomarkers of Delayed Fracture-Related Infection After Internal Fixation: A Prospective Cohort Study
Two neutrophil surface markers plus a blood protein reliably rule out infection after bone surgery, enabling safer earlier discharge decisions.
In 637 prospectively followed fracture surgery patients, neutrophil surface markers CD64 and CD66b plus serum thioredoxin substantially outperformed conventional inflammatory markers for detecting delayed fracture-related infection (8.8% incidence). The combination provides NPV ~99% enabling early safe infection exclusion in post-fixation patients.
What the study was
- Study design
- Prospective cohort study
- Population
- Long-bone fracture patients, tertiary trauma center India
- Sample size
- 637
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Cureus
Why it surfaced
Large prospective n=637; AUC 0.93 CD64 with NPV 99% — directly implementable neutrophil biomarker panel for post-fracture infection monitoring.
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