title: Getting back to zero with nucleated red blood cells: following trends is not necessarily a bad thing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The presence of nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) has been identified as a poor prognostic indicator. We investigated the relationship of NRBC trends in patients with and without trauma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed surgical intensive care unit admissions over 4 years, categorizing trauma and nontrauma patients and subdividing them into 3 groups: group A, all-zero NRBC; group B, positive NRBC value returning to zero; and group C, positive NRBC value that did not return to zero. We analyzed all groups for outcomes of length of stay and mortality.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group A was the largest and had the shortest length of stay and least mortality. Group C had the highest mortality rate. No statistical difference was observed with mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Any positive NRBC was associated with poor outcome, and increasing NRBC was associated with increasing mortality. Trends in NRBC values showed that returning to zero was protective.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
authors.forename: Rupen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shah
authors.forename: Subhash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: H Mathilda
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Horst
authors.forename: Jerry
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stassinopoulos
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Ilan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rubinfeld
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000401:mortality*; D004900:Erythroblasts / Q000378:metabolism*; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers