Research group published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine

Haematology colleagues at the Trust and their wider research group were published in the prestigious Journal of Medicine.

The research group consists of senior figures in the Department of Haematology, namely Dr Sukhjinder Marwah, Dr Farooq Wandroo and Dr Hisam Siddiqi, with expertise from Dr Mandeep Marwah and Dr Hala Shokr from the University of Aston and Manchester.

They produced a study named ‘Lactate Dehydrogenase/Albumin To-Urea Ratio: A Novel Prognostic Maker for Fatal Clinical Complications in Patients with COVID-19 Infection’.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Dr Hisam Siddiqi, who will be taking up a Locum Haematology Consultant post at the Trust from June, said: “According to the official UK government website for data and insights on COVID-19, more than 3,000 patients are newly diagnosed with the virus every week with a mortality rate above 14 per cent due to respiratory complications.

“Similarly, to date, approximately 30 per cent of cases were observed to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation, with the additional risk of progression to respiratory failure, shock and multiorgan failure.

“Our research group were able to identify a new prognostic biomarker (Lactate Dehydrogenase/Albumin To-Urea ratio (LAU) that can be used to stratify COVID-19 patients into well-defined risk groups based on their susceptibility to develop fatal clinical complications upon admission.

“The validity and sensitivity of this prognostic ratio was tested in more than 1,500 patients and proved to be more effective than all the currently used risk stratifying haematological biomarkers including the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio.

“We believe the results of our study have important clinical implications since LAU can be quickly measured on emergency blood tests upon admission, which may facilitate appropriate medical treatment and prompt access to the intensive care unit at an early stage, if necessary. Consequently, this can reduce in-hospital mortality, treatment cost and alleviate medical management for COVID-19 patients.

“The Journal of Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed, open access high impact factor journal and a lot of reputable medical societies such as The International Bone Research Association (IBRA), Italian Resuscitation Council (IRC), Spanish Society of Haematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH), Japan Association for Clinical Engineers (JACE), European Independent Foundation in Angiology/ Vascular Medicine (VAS) are all affiliated with the journal of clinical medicine.

“Therefore, it was one of the happiest moments for us to be published, as we felt that all our hard work and effort has been translated into a paper which can help the medical fraternity all over the world. Along with that, it gave us all a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue research.

“Publishing in such high impact factor international journal is not only beneficial for SWB staff, but also to the medical field around

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the world. It gives our work visibility among other researchers in the field, outside of our immediate circle of contacts and colleagues. Additionally, it allows others to learn from and expound on our work so that society ultimately benefits.”