A retrospective study of CT scan utilization in the emergency department for patients presenting with seizures.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The indications for neuroimaging in emergency department (ED) patients presenting with seizures have not been clearly defined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the findings that may influence the emergency management of patients with seizures undergoing brain computed tomography (CT) and the factors that influence these findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a retrospective, single-center study. Patients presenting to the ED with seizures-both patients with diagnosed epilepsy and patients with first-time seizures-who underwent brain CT were included. Demographic information and indications for CT scans were recorded. According to the CT findings, patients were classified as having or not having significant pathology, and comparisons were made. Intracranial mass, intraparenchymal, subdural, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, fracture, and cerebral edema were considered significant pathologies. RESULTS: This study included 404 patients. The most common reason for a CT scan was head trauma. A significant pathology was found on the CT scan in 5.4% of the patients. A regression analysis showed that hypertension, malignancy, and a prolonged postictal state were the predictive factors for significant pathology on CT. CONCLUSION: CT scanning of patients presenting to the ED with seizures has a limited impact on emergency patient management. Clinical decision-making guidelines for emergency CT scanning of patients with seizures need to be reviewed and improved to identify zero/near-zero risk patients for whom imaging can be deferred.

Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis in diagnostic accuracy studies: A guide to interpreting the area under the curve value.

This review article provides a concise guide to interpreting receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) values in diagnostic accuracy studies. ROC analysis is a powerful tool for assessing the diagnostic performance of index tests, which are tests that are used to diagnose a disease or condition. The AUC value is a summary metric of the ROC curve that reflects the test's ability to distinguish between diseased and nondiseased individuals. AUC values range from 0.5 to 1.0, with a value of 0.5 indicating that the test is no better than chance at distinguishing between diseased and nondiseased individuals. A value of 1.0 indicates perfect discrimination. AUC values above 0.80 are generally consideredclinically useful, while values below 0.80 are considered of limited clinical utility. When interpreting AUC values, it is important to consider the 95% confidence interval. The confidence interval reflects the uncertainty around the AUC value. A narrow confidence interval indicates that the AUC value is likely accurate, while a wide confidence interval indicates that the AUC value is less reliable. ROC analysis can also be used to identify the optimal cutoff value for an index test. The optimal cutoff value is the value that maximizes the test's sensitivity and specificity. The Youden index can be used to identify the optimal cutoff value. This review article provides a concise guide to interpreting ROC curves and AUC values in diagnostic accuracy studies. By understanding these metrics, clinicians can make informed decisions about the use of index tests in clinical practice.

The effect of follow-up blood cultures on mortality and antibiotic use in gram-negative bloodstream infections.

BACKGROUND: Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GN-BSIs) are a significant clinical challenge. The utility of follow-up blood cultures (FUBCs) in GN-BSIs and their impact on mortality and antibiotic consumption are areas of debate. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of FUBCs on mortality and antibiotic consumption in patients with GN-BSIs. METHODS: This single-center, retrospective study was conducted in aged > 18 years of patients with GN-BSIs. FUBC was defined as a blood culture performed 2-7 days after the first blood culture. Patients were grouped as FUBC and no FUBC and compared. A 1:1 match analysis was performed between the groups according to the SOFA score. The matched subgroup was compared for mortality risk factors with logistic regression models. The two groups were compared for the duration of effective antibiotic therapy and total antibiotic consumption (days of therapy per 1000 patient days (DOT/1000 PD)). RESULTS: FUBC was performed in 564 (69.4%) of 812 patients. Persistent, positive and negative FUBC rates were 7.9%, 14%, and 78%, respectively. The frequency of persistent GN-BSI in patients with appropriate antibiotic therapy was 3.9%. SOFA score (OR:1.33; 95% CI, 1.23-1.44), Charlson comorbidity index score (OR:1.18; 95% CI, 1.08-1.28), hospital-acquired infections (OR:1.93; 95% CI, 1.08-3.46) and carbapenem-resistant GN-BSI (OR: 2.92; 95% CI, 1.72-4.96) were independent risk factors for mortality. No relationship was found between FUBC and mortality (p > 0.05). Duration of effective antibiotic therapy (10(4-16) vs. 15(9-20), p < 0.001) and DOT/1000 PD (1609 (1000-2178) vs. 2000 (1294-2769), p < 0.001) were longer in the FUBC group. CONCLUSION: Routine FUBC should not be recommended because of the low prevalence of persistent infections in patients under appropriate antibiotic therapy and FUBC increases antibiotic consumption.

The effect of patient weight on the success of converting sinus rhythm in patients with PSVT treated with standard dose adenosine.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate whether there is a difference in the amount of adenosine per kilogram (mg/kg) between the patient groups that can and cannot be converted to sinus rhythm (SR) with adenosine therapy in patients with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). MATERIAL AND METHOD: This single-centered, retrospectively designed study was conducted in the ED of a training and research hospital between December 1, 2019 and December 1, 2022 on patients who were admitted to the ED with SVT diagnosis and treated with a 6-12-18 mg adenosine protocol. The main analyses were carried out in three stages. The first analysis was performed considering the first 6 mg dose of adenosine administered. The second analysis was performed by considering the 12 mg adenosine administered as the second dose because it did not respond to the first dose. Finally, the third analysis was performed by considering the 18 mg adenosine administered as the third dose because it did not respond to preciously dosages. The primary outcome variable was determined to be converting SR and created two groups according to this; the success SR group and the failure SR group. RESULTS: During the study period, 73 patients who were admitted to the ED with PSVT diagnosis and treated with intravenous adenosine were included. After the first 6 mg of adenosine treatment was administered to all 73 patients, SR was achieved in only 38% of patients. The mean adenosine dose (mg/kg) was significantly lower in the failure SR group, 0.07373 ± 0.014, compared with 0.08885 ± 0.017 mg/kg in the success SR group (mean difference with 95% CI: -0.01511 [-0.023 to -0.0071]; p < 0.001). In the second and third stage analyses, considering 12 and 18 mg adenosine doses, when the administrations with successful and failed SR were compared, no difference was found in terms of the applied adenosine doses per kilogram. CONCLUSION: This study suggest that the success of terminating SVT with the first 6 mg dose of adenosine appears to be dependent on patient weight. In patients given larger doses of adenosine, determinants of PSVT termination success may be factors other than patient weight.

The Role of Brain CT in Patients with Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest with Return of Spontaneous Circulation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The diagnosis and treatment process after resuscitation of patients with spontaneous return of circulation (ROSC) after cardiac arrest is important. There is no clear recommendation on utilization of computerized tomography (CT) of the brain in patients with ROSC. In this study, it was aimed to diagnosis the pathology detection rates in the brain tomography of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients with ROSC after resuscitation in the emergency department and the effect of these pathologies on treatment management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 131 patients who were admitted to the Emergency Medicine Clinic with cardiac arrest between 08.05.2019 and 07.12.2020, had ROSC after resuscitation and underwent brain CT in the first 24 h were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups; those with clinically significant pathology in brain CT who underwent treatment changes and those without clinically significant pathology. All data recorded in the study form were analyzed using IBM SPSS 20.0 (Chicago, IL, USA) statistics program. P < 0.005 value was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 51.1% (67) of the patients were women. The age median value was 73 (IQR25-IQR75;63-83). The most common comorbidity in patients was hypertension with 42% (55). Patients with clinically significant pathology observed in brain tomography studied after ROSC were 12.2% (16) of all patients. The most common management changes were requesting a consultation from the neurology department (n = 9) and adding a new drug to the treatment (n= 5) The 30-day and 1-year mortality rates showed no significant difference between the two groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: We have seen that the data obtained from the CT studied in the early period after the ROSC was achieved, did not change the management of our patients x in the early and late periods after resuscitation. We conclude that it is not necessary to have a brain CT scan in the emergency department in the early period.

2021 Guideline for the Management of COPD Exacerbations: Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey (EMAT) / Turkish Thoracic Society (TTS) Clinical Practice Guideline Task Force.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an important public health problem that manifests with exacerbations and causes serious mortality and morbidity in both developed and developing countries. COPD exacerbations usually present to emergency departments, where these patients are diagnosed and treated. Therefore, the Emergency Medicine Association of Turkey and the Turkish Thoracic Society jointly wanted to implement a guideline that evaluates the management of COPD exacerbations according to the current literature and provides evidence-based recommendations. In the management of COPD exacerbations, we aim to support the decision-making process of clinicians dealing with these patients in the emergency setting.

The prognostic role of neopterin in COVID-19 patients.

In Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases, hyper inflammation is associated with the severity of the disease. High levels of circulating cytokines were reported in severe COVID-19 patients. Neopterin produced by macrophages on stimulation with interferon-gamma, which is an important cytokine in the antiviral immune response, hence it can be used to predict the severity of disease in COVID-19 cases. In this study, it was aimed to determine the prognostic value of the neopterin for the prediction of severe disease in patients with COVID-19. This single-center, prospective study was conducted in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and healthy volunteers. Severe and mild COVID-19 cases were compared in terms of clinical and laboratory findings as well as serum neopterin levels on hospital admission. To assess the prognostic utility of neopterin between the severe and mild COVID-19 groups, a receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated. The median serum neopterin level was four times higher in COVID-19 patients than the healthy controls (46 vs. 12 nmol/L; p < .001). The AUC value of serum neopterin was 0.914 (95% confidence interval, 0.85-0.97). The sensitivity and specificity of serum neopterin for the cut-off value of 90 nmol/L to identify severe COVID-19 cases were 100% and 76%, respectively. Serum neopterin levels on hospitalization were significantly higher in severe COVID-19 disease than mild COVID-19 patients. Neopterin levels can be used as an early prognostic biomarker for COVID-19 on admission.

Assessment of the carotid artery Doppler flow time in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the subjectivity and ambiguity of the noninvasive measurements and limited use of invasive ones, there is an impending need for a real-time, fast, inexpensive, and reproducible noninvasive measurement method in acute upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding with active bleeding in emergency services. AIMS: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of bedside carotid artery flow time (CFT) measurement before and after the passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver on the determination of active bleeding in patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with upper GI bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective case-control study was conducted in the ED of a training and research hospital with upper GI bleeding. Patients were placed in the supine position to perform bedside carotid Doppler ultrasonography before starting treatment. CFT, corrected CFT (CFTc), and carotid artery Doppler flow velocity were measured. After then performed PLR, the same parameters were measured again. RESULTS: A total of 94 patients, including 50 patients with GI bleeding and 44 healthy volunteers as control group were included in the study. CFT and CFTc were shorter in the patient group than the control group (P < 0.001, P = 0.004, respectively). After PLR, there were statistically significant differences in change in the CFT (ΔCFT) and change in the corrected CFT (ΔCFTc) between the groups (P = 0.001, P < 0.001). There were also statistically significant differences in ΔCFT and ΔCFT between the patients with active bleeding and the nonbleeding ones (P = 0.01, P = 0.005, respectively). Area under curve to detect active bleeding for ΔCFT and ΔCFTc were calculated as 0.801 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.65-0.95) and 0.778 (95% CI: 0.63-0.91), respectively. CONCLUSION: The corrected carotid Doppler flow time measurements in patients with GI bleeding at the time of presenting to the emergency department can be helpful to interpret the active bleeding.

Effects of spinal immobilization at 20° on end-tidal carbon dioxide.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the effect on end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO2) of spinal immobilization (SI) at a conventional 0° angle and to investigate the usefulness of immobilization at a 20° angle for preventing possible hypoventilation. METHODS: The study included 80 healthy volunteers, randomly divided into two groups. Spinal backboards and cervical collars were applied in Group 1 using a 0° angle and in Group 2 using a 20° angle, with the head up. SI was continued for 1 h, and ETCO2 values were measured at the 0th, 30th and 60th minute. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in 0th and 30th minute ETCO2. However, after 60th minute, results showed a statistically significant increase in ETCO2 in Group 1 (35.5 mmHg [IQR 25-75:35-38]) compared to Group 2 (34 mmHg [IQR 25-75:33-36]) (p < 0.001). During SI, there was a statistically significant increase in ETCO2 in Group 1 (35 mmHg [IQR 25-75:34-36], 35.5 mmHg [IQR 25-75:34-37] and 36 mmHg [IQR 25-75:35-38] respectively at the 0th, 30th and 60th minute after SI) (p < 0.001) and no change in Group 2. Also, we found statistically significant differences between ΔETCO2 levels in Groups 1 and 2 at all 3 time intervals. CONCLUSION: Conventional SI with an angle of 0° led to an increase in ETCO2 while subjects immobilization at a 20° angle maintained their initial ETCO2 values. Immobilization at 20° may prevent decompensation in patients who have thoracic trauma or lung diseases or those who are elderly, pregnant, or obese.

Predictive value of capnography for severity of acute gastroenteritis in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: This study first aims to assess the utility of ETCO2 levels in evaluating the severity of dehydration in adult patients that present to the ED with acute gastroenteritis. AGE. Second, it intends to evaluate the correlation between ETCO2 and several metabolic parameters: creatinine, pH, bicarbonate (HCO3), and bases excessive (BE). METHOD: This prospective study was conducted with AGE patients in the ED of a training and research hospital between June 2018 and April 2019 after approval of the local ethical-committee. The two groups were defined according to the severity of AGE: mild and non-mild groups. For both groups, ETCO2 levels were measured and recorded on admission of the patients. RESULTS: 87 patients were included in the analyses. The median of ETCO2 values was found as lower in non-mild group than mild group; 30 (25-35) & 39 (33-34), respectively (p < 0.001). In ROC analysis for distinguishing between the both groups, the AUC value was found to be 0.988 and the best cut-off level was found as 33.5 with 95% sensitivity and 93% specificity. In addition, strong negative correlation between ETCO2 and creatinine (p < 0.001, r: -0.771) were found. CONCLUSION: ETCO2 levels decreased in the non-mild group of AGE patients; it could be useful to distinguish the mild group from the non-mild group. ETCO2 could be a reliable marker in predicting AKI in the management of AGE patients.

Effects of 20-degree spinal immobilization on respiratory functions in otherwise healthy volunteers with android-type obesity.

AIM: The aim of the study was to assess whether spinal immobilization with long back board (LBB) and semi-rigid cervical collar (CC) at 20° instead of 0° conserves pulmonary functions in obese volunteers, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC ratio. METHODS: The study included adult volunteer subjects with android-type obesity who were otherwise healthy. First, pulmonary functions were tested in a seated position to obtain baseline levels, than volunteers were immobilized with LBB and CC at 0-degree and measurements repeated at 0th and 30th minute of immobilization. Next day, same procedures were repeated with the trauma board at 20-degree. Changes over time in FEV1, FVC values and FEV1/FVC ratios during spinal immobilization at 0° and 20° were compared to baseline levels. RESULTS: Study included 30 volunteers. Results showed a significant decline in all values for both situations following spinal immobilization (p < .001). We also compared the decrease over time in those values (ΔFEV1, ΔFVC, and ΔFEV1/FVC ratio) during spinal immobilization at 0° and 20°. The decrease in pulmonary functions was similar in both groups (p > .05). CONCLUSION: The present findings confirm that spinal immobilization reduces pulmonary functions in obese volunteers, and that 20-degree immobilization has no conservative effect on these values when compared to the traditional 0-degree immobilization. It may be that 20° is insufficient to decrease the negative effect of abdominal obesity on pulmonary functions.

Evaluation of electrocardiographic parameters in patients with epileptic seizure.

The aim of the study is to evaluate the changes in electrocardiographic parameters, including QTc dispersion (QTcd), Tpeak-Tend (Tp-e)/QTc ratio and P-wave dispersion (Pd), during the period without seizure activation in patients, presented to the emergency department (ED) with epileptic seizures. This prospective case-control study was conducted between January 2017 and January 2018. Patients, over 18 years old and presented to the ED with epileptic seizure, were consecutively included in the study. Interictal period ECGs of patients were obtained at least 2 hours after the end of the postictal period. ST-segment changes, QT interval, corrected QT interval (QTc), QTd, Pd, Tp-e, Tp-e dispersion (Tp-ed), Tp-e/QTc ratio and arrhythmias were evaluated in interictal ECGs. A total of 103 epileptic patients and 31 control cases were included in the study. Heart rate, QTc, QTcd, Pd, Tp-ed and Tp-e/QTc ratio were significantly higher in the epilepsy group than in the control group (p < 0.05 for all values). No statistically significant difference in those parameters was observed between the patients with known epilepsy and the patients who had seizure for the first time. There was also no statistically significant difference between patients who had recurrent seizures during the observation period and who did not. The patients with epileptic seizures had increased Pd, QTd, QTcd, Tp-ed and Tpe/QTc ratio during interictal period compared to healthy subjects. These electrocardiographic changes might be associated with an increased risk of dysrhythmia. However, prospective large cohorts with short- and long-term follow-up are needed for clinical reflections.

High-altitude illness: Management approach.

In high altitudes, usually above 2500 m, travelers are faced with decreased partial pressure of oxygen along with decreased barometric pressure. High-altitude illness, a syndrome of acute mountain sickness, high-altitude cerebral edema and high-altitude pulmonary edema, occurs due to the hypobaric hypoxia when there is inadequate acclimatization. This review provides detailed information about pathophysiology, clinical features, prevention and treatment strategies for high-altitude illness according to the current literature.

Association of trans-myocardial repolarisation parameters with size of the diffusion limitation area in acute ischaemic stroke.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between transmyocardial repolarisation parameters and the size of the diffusion limitation area measured using diffusion weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWMRI) in patients diagnosed with ischaemic stroke without known cardiac diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was a prospective, observational clinical study. Patients without cardiac disease with acute ischaemic stroke were included in the study. Electrocardiography (ECG) was received from the patients. P, QT, QTc and Tp-e dispersions were calculated. All the patients had computerised brain tomography (CT) and then DWMRI carried out so as to calculate infarct areas. RESULTS: Seventy ischaemic stroke patients and 30 control patients were included in the study. All parameters except for QTc dispersion (p = 0.88) were higher in the stroke group than in the control group (p < 0.05 for all values). The infarct area calculated with DWMRI was divided into four groups according to quartiles, and QT, QTc, P, and Tp-e dispersions of patients were evaluated. Patients were found to have a prolonged dispersion as the infarct area expanded, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05 for all values). CONCLUSIONS: When we compared the patients with ischaemic stroke who had no known cardiac disease to those in the control group we found an increase in transmyocardial repolarisation parameters. As diffusion limitation areas grew larger, QT, QTc, P, and Tp-e dispersions increased. Physicians should be aware of dysrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in acute stroke and should observe these patients, especially those with larger stroke lesions.

Comparison of social supports for geriatric patients admitted to emergency department for trauma and medical reasons.

OBJECTIVES: Developments in medical technology have increased life expectancy around the world thereby, the population of elderly patients increases. While diagnosing the elderly patients, besides factors like physiological changes, comorbidities, multiple medications and admittance to the Emergency Department (ED) for serious causes, a lack of information and experience complicate the work of emergency physicians. Elderly people are admitted to ED with medical or traumatic complaints; nevertheless, independent of the reason for admittance to the ED their presenting condition should be simultaneously assessed for comorbidities. In this study, we aimed to compare social support and stress levels in geriatric patients admitted to the ED for trauma and medical reasons. METHODS: This was a single-center, prospective, descriptive, epidemiologic trial conducted in the ED of a training and research hospital between October 1st, 2015, and April 1st, 2016. Participants consisted 197 patients who were older than 65 years and presented to ED with medical reasons or trauma whose Emergency Severity Index (ESI) was ≥3. A socio-demographic and clinical data form, and the DUKE Social Support and Stress Scale (DUSOCS) were completed for each patient. RESULTS: Patients presenting with medical problems had higher family support levels than patients presenting with traumatic incidents, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.028). Concurrently, when both groups' family stress and social stress levels are viewed, patients presenting with trauma had higher levels of stress, and this difference was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the patients admitted to the ED for trauma have lower social support levels than patients admitted for medical reasons. Moreover, social stress levels were also higher in these patients.

The effects of spinal immobilization at 20° on intracranial pressure.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate whether spinal immobilization at 20°, instead of the traditional 0°, affects intracranial pressure (ICP) via the ultrasonographic (USG) measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). METHODS: 140 healthy, adult, non-smoking volunteers who had no acute or chronic diseases were included this study. Volunteers were randomly divided into two groups; performed spinal immobilization at 0° (Group 1) and at 20° (Group 2). After spinal immobilization (at 0 or 20°), measurements of ONSD were performed at 0, 30, and 60 min in an immobilized position. RESULTS: When evaluating the change in ONSD over time (at 30 and 60 min) as compared to basal measurements at 0 min, it was found that the ONSD values of both sides (the right and left eyes) were significantly increased in Group 1 and Group 2. For Groups 1 and 2, these differences existed both between 0 and 30 min and between 30 and 60 min. In addition, in this study, the amounts of increase in the ONSD measurements from 0 to 30 min and from 30 to 60 min (ΔONSD0-30 min and ΔONSD30-60 min) in both groups were compared. The results showed that there was no significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 in terms of ΔONSD measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Spinal immobilization at 0° as a part of routine trauma management increased ONSD and thus ICP. Secondly, we found that similar to immobilization at 0°, spinal immobilization at 20° increased ONSD.

Whole body computed tomography in multi trauma patients: Review of the current literature.

Many authors adopt the Selected Computed Tomography (SCT) approach of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) for the management of multiple trauma patients. In the SCT approach, the initial physical examination is followed by conventional radiography (cervical X-ray, chest X-ray, pelvic X-ray and Focused Abdominal Sonography in Trauma (FAST)), and the computed tomography (CT) of the specific body regions if indicated. An alternative to this traditional approach is the Whole-body Computed Tomography (WBCT) protocol, which became widespread all over the world in the last two decades to minimize the rate of missed injuries and decrease the mortality rate. According to the literature, the WBCT approach is superior to the traditional SCT approach in the time of imaging, diagnostic accuracy, and mortality rates. Conversely, WBCT increases the cancer risk due to additional irradiation. Therefore, it is recommended that the WBCT protocol should be reserved for only severe multi-trauma patients. However, further studies to define severe patients, and clinical decision criteria for WBCT are needed.

Value of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in distinguishing between acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to determine whether plasma NGAL levels could be used as a biomarker for distinguishing between AKI and CKD in emergency medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at the ED of a training and research hospital over a six-month period in 2015. Three groups were defined: an AKI group - defined as a new onset of at least a 1.5-fold or ≥0.3 mg increment increase of SCr values from the normal baseline, a stable CKD group - only included presence of stages 2 through 4 of CKD according to the National Kidney Foundation's KDIGO 2012, and a control group. After the initial evaluation of patients, venous blood samples were taken for routine biochemical, counter blood cell, and plasma NGAL measurement at admission. RESULTS: A total of 25 patients with AKI, 22 patients with stable CKD, and 22 control subjects were enrolled. Level of plasma NGAL in AKI group was higher than those of the stable CKD group (median: 794 ng/ml IQR: 317-1300 & 390 ng/ml IQR: 219-664, p < 0.001). AUC was measured as 0.68 (p = 0.02, 95% CIs: 0.54-0.84) to assess the utility of plasma NGAL levels at varying cut-off values for distinguishing between AKI and CKD. For plasma NGAL, the best cut-off level was found to be 457 ng/ml (sensitivity: 72.0%, specificity: 64%). CONCLUSION: This study has clearly demonstrated that plasma NGAL levels were higher in AKI patients than in CKD patients. However, in clinical practice, the use of plasma NGAL levels to distinguish between AKI and CKD is limited.