International comparison of neutrophil surface markers after severe trauma is feasible using point of care flowcytometry - results from a pilot study

INTRODUCTION: The dynamics of cell surface marker expression on systemic neutrophils provide valuable insights into the post-traumatic immune response. Recent advances in point-of-care (PoC) technologies allow for rapid on-site neutrophil analysis. The current study aimed to proof, if results of PoC measurements are comparable between two study centers.

METHODS: A well-established laboratory protocol for fully automated PoC flowcytometry analysis of neutrophils was applied inside the trauma bay of two level 1 trauma centers. We analyzed the neutrophil surface patterns CD16, CD11b, CD62L, CD10 and CD64 and compared the results between two centers both in heathy controls and patients.

RESULTS: 28 Polytrauma patients were included. The measurements at both centers revealed similar results with respect to the expression neutrophil activation markers in patients with different trauma severities. Particularly the expression of CD16, CD11b and CD10 were very comparable between both centers in both healthy controls and trauma patients.

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the successful implementation of a fully automated PoC neutrophil analysis infrastructure from one trauma center to another facilitating multicenter flow cytometry studies. This paves the way for advanced immune monitoring that could significantly improve personalized clinical decision-making.