Evaluation of Serum Levels of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein as Prognostic Indicators in Burns

Background Burn is a leading cause of fatality in a developing country. C-reactive protein levels (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) can be prognostic indicators for the burn patients'' mortality. Aim To assess serial levels of serum PCT and serum CRP as prognostic indicators in burns. Patient and Methods In patients admitted with burns, alternate-day serum PCT and CRP were measured from the time of admission until the time of discharge or until survival. The change in trends of CRP and PCT serum levels were studied, and it was then correlated with mortality among these burn patients. Results The first-day value of serum PCT > 1772 pg/mL and serum CRP > 71 mg/mL or any value of serum PCT > 2163 pg/mL and of serum CRP > 90 mg/L indicate a poor prognosis in burns. Conclusions The day-1 values of PCT and CRP were significantly higher in nonsurvivors than survivors in burns. The increasing trends of serum PCT and CRP levels are independent predictors of mortality in burns requiring prompt intervention. Rising PCT and CRP level denote poor prognosis in burns with an increased likelihood of death by 4.5 and 23.6 times, respectively.     

The utility of C-reactive protein and procalcitonin for sepsis diagnosis in critically burned patients: A preliminary study

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the utility of C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) as biomarkers of infection in patients with severe burn injury.

METHODS:

The present study included severe burn injury patients consecutively admitted to the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital (Andalucia, Spain) intensive care unit during a 12-month period. The variables of interest were: age, sex, mechanism of injury, percentage of burned body surface area, the Abbreviated Burn Severity Index (ABSI) and the absence/presence of sepsis. The authors analyzed serum levels of CRP and PCT at admission and every 48 h thereafter until intensive care unit discharge or death. Each determination was considered to be a sample or unit of analysis.

RESULTS:

A total of 157 determinations were analyzed from 17 severe burn injury patients. Fifty-four samples were considered to be septic, 25 of which corresponded to the first day of a new onset of sepsis. The mean duration of these symptoms was four days (interquartile range two to five days). Significant differences were found in the distributions of CRP and PCT values between sepsis and no-sepsis samples. Analysis of the changes in these biomarkers over time showed that PCT increase (ΔPCT) differentiated these diagnoses, whereas CRP increase (ΔCRP) did not. ROC curve analysis revealed that ΔPCT could predict positive sepsis samples (area under the curve 0.75 [95% CI 0.58 to 0.90]; P=0.003).

CONCLUSION:

These preliminary results showed that PCT had a better discriminatory capacity than CRP for identifying infectious processes in patients with severe burn injury. A larger sample size would be needed to confirm these results.     

Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin as an indicator of acute kidney injury and inflammation in burned children

Introduction

Neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a novel predictor of acute kidney injury (AKI), which increases with inflammation. We aimed to assess whether serum NGAL (SNGAL) and urine NGAL (UNGAL) can predict AKI in burned children.

Methods

Patients were referred within the 12 h of burn to our center. Serum samples for SNGAL, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and urine for UNGAL, microalbumine (Umalb), creatinine (Ucr) were obtained at both admission and the 5th day after burn. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) were examined daily.

Results

Twenty-two subjects were enrolled and six (27.2%) of them developed AKI within the 48 h of injury. Burn size and abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) were significantly increased in patients with AKI. CRP, PCT, SNGAL and UNGAL levels at admission and day 5 were significantly higher in patients with AKI than in those without AKI and controls. Scr was not significant between AKI and non-AKI groups at hospital days 1 and 5. A SNGAL level of 315 ng/ml and a UNGAL level of 100 ng/ml were determined as predictive cut-off values of AKI at admission (sensitivity and specificity: 71.4%, 83.3% and 93.3%, 93.7%, respectively). SNGAL and UNGAL were positively correlated with CRP, PCT, ABSI and Umalb/Ucr.

Conclusion

SNGAL and UNGAL are good early predictors of AKI in children with severe burn. NGAL might reflect the severity of burn insult and also could be used as an indicator of inflammation in burn children.     

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目的评价血清钠浓度对肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人死亡情况的预测价值。方法选择2012年1月至2013年1月南京军区南京总医院普通外科收治的162例肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人作为推导队列,根据28 d死亡情况将病人分为生存组(119例)和死亡组(43例)。监测病人入院当天及入院第3、7天的各项生化指标[血清钠浓度([Na+])、血清降钙素原(PCT)]。以[Na+]为例:[Na+]0、[Na+]3、[Na+]7分别为入院当天和入院后第3、7天的[Na+];Δ[Na+]3=[Na+]3-[Na+]0;Δ[Na+]7=[Na+]7-[Na+]0;Δ[Na+]7-3=[Na+]7-[Na+]3。其余指标以此类推。使用ROC曲线分析各指标对预后的影响。同时,选择2013年1-10月的116例相关病人作为验证队列,对各指标的预测价值进行验证。结果 ROC曲线分析表明,[Na+]7>147.5 mmol/L和Δ[Na+]7>5.2 mmol/L可准确地预测病人的死亡情况。[Na+]7:敏感度81.2%,特异度87.7%,AUC=0.872(P<0.001);Δ[Na+]7:敏感度81.3%,特异度83.6%,AUC=0.836(P<0.001)。联合多个指标预测的准确度最高:[Na+]7>147.5 mmol/L+Δ[Na+]7>5.2 mmol/L+ΔPCT7<5.3ng/m L(AUC=0.899,P<0.001)。结论动态监测血清钠浓度可预测肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人的28 d死亡情况,高钠血症和血钠波动幅度过大是敏感的预警指标,应该在危重症病人的临床监护中加以重视。     

Procalcitonin for the early prediction of renal parenchymal involvement in children with UTI: preliminary results

In order to establish the most reliable marker for distinguishing urinary tract infections (UTI) with and without renal parenchymal involvement (RPI), we recorded the clinical features and admission leukocyte count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum procalcitonin (PCT) in 57 children (including 43 girls) aged 2–108 months admitted with a first episode of UTI. RPI was evaluated by Tc-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy within 7 days of admission. To establish cut-off points for ESR, CRP, and PCT, we used receiver operating characteristics curves and compared the area under the curve for ESR, CRP, and PCT. Twenty-seven children were diagnosed as having RPI based on positive renal scintigraphy. A body temperature of >38°C, a history of diarrhea, and poor oral intake were more common in patients with RPI. ESR, CRP, and PCT, but not leukocyte count, were significantly higher in patients with RPI (P < 0.001). PCT was more sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of upper versus lower UTI than ESR and CRP. Using a cut-off value of 0.85 ng/ml, PCT had the best performance, with sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of 89%, 97%, 96%, and 91% respectively. Serum PCT is a better marker than ESR, CRP, and leukocyte count for the early prediction of RPI in children with a first episode of UTI.     

Predictive value of lactate dehydrogenase combined with the abbreviated burn severity index for acute kidney injury and mortality in severe burn patients

BackgroundExtensive burns are devastating trauma. This study aimed to explore the predictive value of early lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level, the abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) and their combination on acute kidney injury (AKI) and mortality after severe burns.Methods and results194 severe burn patients (TBSA ≥ 30%) were included. After multivariate analyses, early LDH value (first 24 h after admission) was an independent risk factor for early AKI (OR=1.095, CI,1.025–1.169,p = 0.007) and AKI (OR=1.452, CI,1.131–1.864, p = 0.003) in severe burn patients and was still a significant risk factor for mortality (OR=1.059, CI,1.006–1.115,p = 0.03). In ROC analysis, after combining LDH and ABSI, the AUC values were 0.925 for AKI, 0.926 for stage 3 AKI, and 0.904 for mortality. Based on cut-off values, patients were divided into different risk groups. The cumulative incidence of AKI (within 5 days, 30 days) and survival rate (within 60 days) were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The mortality, AKI incidence, and AKI staging showed a significant upward trend with the increasing risk level (P < 0.001).ConclusionEarly LDH level is an independent risk factor for early AKI and AKI. LDH combined with ABSI can better predict mortality and AKI than single indicators.     

血清钠浓度评估肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人预后研究

目的 评价血清钠浓度对肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人死亡情况的预测价值。方法 选择2012年1月至2013年1月南京军区南京总医院普通外科收治的162例肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人作为推导队列,根据28 d死亡情况将病人分为生存组（119例）和死亡组（43例）。监测病人入院当天及入院第3、7天的各项生化指标［血清钠浓度（［Na+］）、血清降钙素原（PCT）］。以［Na+］为例：［Na+］0、［Na+］3、［Na+］7分别为入院当天和入院后第3、7天的［Na+］;Δ［Na+］3 = ［Na+］3-［Na+］0;Δ［Na+］7= ［Na+］7-［Na+］0;Δ［Na+］7-3= ［Na+］7-［Na+］3。其余指标以此类推。使用ROC曲线分析各指标对预后的影响。同时,选择2013年1-10月的116例相关病人作为验证队列,对各指标的预测价值进行验证。结果 ROC曲线分析表明,［Na+］7>147.5 mmol/L和Δ［Na+］7>5.2 mmol/L可准确地预测病人的死亡情况。［Na+］7：敏感度81.2%,特异度87.7%,AUC=0.872（P<0.001）;Δ［Na+］7：敏感度81.3%,特异度83.6%,AUC=0.836（P<0.001）。联合多个指标预测的准确度最高：［Na+］7>147.5 mmol/L+Δ［Na+］7>5.2 mmol/L+ΔPCT7<5.3 ng/mL（AUC=0.899,P<0.001）。结论 动态监测血清钠浓度可预测肠瘘合并腹腔感染病人的28 d死亡情况,高钠血症和血钠波动幅度过大是敏感的预警指标,应该在危重症病人的临床监护中加以重视。     

Validation of four burn-specific prognostic models in a cohort of 9625 cases,and a novel model for prediction of mortality in burn patients

BackgroundSurvival after burn injury has steadily improved in recent decades. The models for assessing the severity of burn injury and predicting burn-associated mortality have been used for over 20 years. The predictive accuracy of these models should be reconsidered now.MethodIn this retrospective study on all burn patients (n = 9625) admitted to the Burn Department, Southwest Hospital between 2008 and 2017, we compared the predictive performance of the four burn-severity models (Abbreviated Burn Severity Index, Ryan score, revised Baux score and Belgian Outcome of Burn Injury) by area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) and Hosmer–Lemeshow test. We developed a new model with the data from 2008 to 2012 (5006 patients) by logistic regression, data from 2013 to 2017 (4619 patients) were used for validation.ResultThe overall mortality rate of the burn patients was 1.14%. The four previously validated burn models showed good discrimination power of death risk (AUC > 0.890) but poor fitness to the observed mortality rate (p < 0.001). Risk factors associated with mortality included sex, age, total burn area, full thickness burn area, and inhalation injury. The new logistic model was devised with high sensitivity and specificity (0.913 and 0.806, respectively) and an AUC of 0.940. The new model also had good fitness to the observed mortality of burn patients (p = 0.588).ConclusionThe four widely used burn models have poor accuracy in predicting burn-associated mortality, and an accurate new model was developed based on simple and objective clinical characteristics of burn patients at admission.     

降钙素原与C反应蛋白早期预测腹腔镜结直肠癌术后吻合口漏的临床价值

目的探讨降钙素原(PCT)及C反应蛋白(CRP)早期预测腹腔镜结直肠癌术后吻合口漏的临床价值。方法前瞻性入组2019年3月至2019年10月间华中科技大学同济医学院附属协和医院胃肠外科收治的行腹腔镜结直肠癌手术的病人。分别于术前及术后第1、3、5、7天检测病人血清PCT、CRP、白细胞计数(WBC)、中性粒细胞计数(NEUT)水平,根据术后是否发生吻合口漏分为吻合口漏组与非吻合口漏组。比较两组不同时间点血清PCT、CRP、WBC、NEUT水平的差异,根据受试者工作特征曲线(ROC)评价和比较PCT、CRP、WBC对吻合口漏预测的准确性,并计算其敏感度、特异度及最佳临界值。采用DeLong测试计算两条ROC曲线下面积(AUC)之差,并进行AUC间的比较。结果共入选112例行腹腔镜结直肠癌手术病人,术后8例(7.14%)发生吻合口漏,吻合口漏组术后血清PCT、CRP水平显著高于非吻合口漏组。PCT、CRP预测术后吻合口漏的准确性均优于WBC;CRP在各时间点中术后第3天预测吻合口漏准确性最高;PCT在术后第3、5天预测吻合口漏准确性均优于术后第3天CRP预测吻合口漏准确性;术后第3、5天PCT预测吻合口漏的AUC比较,两者差异无统计学意义(P=0.664)。术后第3天PCT预测吻合口漏敏感度为87.5%,特异性为86.5%,阳性预测值为31.8%,最佳临界值为1.26μg/L;术后第5天PCT预测吻合口漏敏感度为87.5%,特异性为76.9%,阳性预测值为22.6%;术后第3天PCT预测吻合口漏的特异性与阳性预测值优于术后第5天。术后第3、5天PCT联合CRP预测吻合口漏的AUC分别为0.903、0.888,术后第3天单独PCT预测吻合口漏的AUC与术后第3天PCT联合CRP预测吻合口漏的AUC相比,两者差异无统计学意义(P=0.135)。结论动态监测术后血清PCT和CRP水平可有效预测腹腔镜结直肠癌手术后吻合口漏的发生。术后第3天血清PCT水平对早期预测吻合口漏有很高的临床价值,当术后第3天血清PCT>1.26μg/L时,应高度警惕吻合口漏发生的可能。     

C-reactive protein elevation is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in elderly burned patients

BackgroundC-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase protein produced in response to inflammation after traumatic injury. We posit that C-reactive protein (CRP) is reliable in predicting morbidity and mortality following severe burn. In this study, we explored the relationship between serum CRP values and clinical outcomes in the severely burned.MethodsUsing the Research Network within the TriNetX database, we queried de-identified burn patient data across the United States and enrolled 36,556 burn patients with reported CRP values from 2006 to 2020.ResultsCirculating CRP levels were elevated significantly in patients ≥60 years as well as in males and African Americans (p < 0.05). CRP levels reached the zenith on the first day after burn, and were highest when burn size reached 60% total body surface area (TBSA). After bisecting the data at 10 mg/L of CRP, we compared clinical findings between patient groups (n = 16,284/18,647 in high/low CRP levels). The risk of patient death doubled in the high CRP group from 4.687% to 9.313%, with higher incidences of sepsis, skin infection, and myocardial infarction (p < 0.05). Moreover, mortality increased from 0.9% to 1.926% in those younger than 20 years when comparing the low and high CRP groups, whereas mortality significantly increased from 8.84% to 15.818% in those ≥60 years old (p < 0.05). Both elderly and paediatric groups had significant increases in the diagnosis of sepsis-associated with increased CRP expression. However, incidences of skin infection, pneumonia, and acute kidney injury increased significantly only in the elderly group (p < 0.05).ConclusionElevated CRP expression is common in burn patients. The factor of age influenced the association of CRP expression to clinical outcomes.     

Diagnostic value of procalcitonin and red blood cell distribution width at admission on the prognosis of patients with severe burns: A retrospective analysis

The plasma procalcitonin (PCT) concentration and red blood cell distribution (RDW) value after severe burns can be used as prognostic indicators, but at present, it is difficult to give consideration to sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing the prognosis of severe burns with a single indicator. This study analysed the diagnostic value of plasma PCT concentration and RDW value at admission on the prognosis of severe burn patients to improve its sensitivity and specificity. A total of 205 patients with severe burns who were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from November 2017 to November 2022 were retrospectively analysed. The optimal cut-off values of plasma PCT concentration and RDW were analysed and counted through the subject curve (ROC curve). According to the cut-off value, patients were divided into high PCT group and low PCT group, high RDW group and low RDW group. The independent risk factors of severe burns were analysed by single-factor and multiple-factor COX regression. Kaplan–Meier survival was used to analyse the mortality of high PCT group and low PCT group, high RDW group and low RDW group. The area under the curve of plasma PCT concentration and RDW value at admission was 0.761 (95% CI, 0.662–0.860, P < .001), 0.687 (95% CI, 0.554–0.820, P = .003) respectively, and the optimal cut-off values of serum PCT concentration and RDW were 2.775 ng/mL and 14.55% respectively. Cox regression analysis found that age, TBSA, and RDW were independent risk factors for mortality within 90 days after severe burns. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the 90-day mortality rate of severe burns between the PCT ≥ 2.775 ng/mL group and the PCT < 2.775 ng/mL group (log-rank: 24.162; P < .001), with the mortality rate of 36.84% versus 5.49%, respectively. The 90-day mortality rate of severe burns was significantly different between the RDW ≥ 14.55% group and the RDW < 14.55% group (log-rank: 14.404; P < .001), with the mortality rate of 44% versus 12.2% respectively. The plasma PCT concentration and RDW value at admission are both of diagnostic value for the 90-day mortality of severe burns, but the plasma PCT concentration has higher sensitivity and the RDW value has higher specificity. Age, TBSA, and RDW were independent risk factors for severe burns, and then plasma PCT concentration was not independent risk factors.     

Procalcitonin for early prediction of survival outcome in postoperative critically ill patients with severe sepsis

Background. Identification of postoperative patients at highrisk of dying early after intensive care unit (ICU) admissionthrough a fast and readily available parameter may help in determiningtherapeutic interventions or further diagnostic procedures thatcould have an impact on patients' outcome. The aim of our studywas to assess the utility of procalcitonin (PCT) and other readilyavailable parameters, as useful early (days 1–3) predictorsof mortality in postoperative patients diagnosed with severesepsis within 24 h preceding their operation. Methods. More than a period of 2 yr, subsets of 69 postoperativepatients admitted with severe sepsis and 890 non-septic ICUpatients were investigated. PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP) andsequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were recordedover the duration of ICU stay. Results. PCT area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve was 0.78 on day 3 and was highly predictive of fatal outcome(0.90) at day 6. Area under ROC curve of SOFA score was 0.85on day 3 and remained in this range until day 6. Area underROC curves on day 3 of CRP (0.61) was non-predictive and remainednon-predictive over the duration of ICU stay. Conclusions. PCT exhibited no discriminative power early afterICU admission for prediction of mortality in critically illpatients with severe sepsis, compared with a high predictivepower of SOFA score on day 3. However, using PCT could stillserve as a useful complementary comparator for prediction ofsurvival outcome using the SOFA score.     

Procalcitonin as a predictor of renal scarring in infants and young children

The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) as a marker of renal scars in infants and young children with a first episode of acute pyelonephritis. Children aged 7 days to 36 months admitted for first febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) to a pediatric emergency department were prospectively enrolled. The PCT concentration was determined at admission. Acute ^99mTc-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scintigraphy was performed within 7 days of admission and repeated 12 months later when abnormal findings were obtained on the first scan. Of the 72 children enrolled in the study, 52 showed signs of acute pyelonephritis (APN) on the first DMSA scan. A follow-up scintigraphy at the 12-month follow-up performed on 41 patients revealed that 14 (34%) patients had developed renal scars; these patients also presented significantly higher PCT values than those without permanent renal lesions [2.3 (interquartile range 1–11.6) vs. 0.5 (0.2–1.4) ng/mL; p = 0.007]. A comparison of the PCT concentration in patients with febrile UTI without renal involvement, with APN without scar development and with APN with subsequent renal scarring revealed a significant increasing trend (p = 0.006, Kruskal–Wallis test). The area under the ROC curve for scar prediction was 0.74 (95% confidence interval 0.61–0.85), with an optimum statistical cut-off value of 1 ng/mL (sensitivity 78.6%; specificity 63.8%). Based on these results, we suggest that serum PCT concentration at admission is a useful predictive tool of renal scarring in infants and young children with acute pyelonephritis.     

Admission serum lactate levels do not predict mortality in the acutely injured patient

INTRODUCTION: The conventional view that admission lactate levels predict outcome in trauma patients stems from simple comparisons of mean blood levels between groups and small sample sizes. To better address this question, we performed more rigorous statistical analyses of lactate in a larger patient sample. METHODS: We prospectively collected data on admission lactate and outcomes in 5,995 patients admitted to an urban, university-based trauma center. The ability of admission lactate to predict mortality was assessed by logistic regression, calculation of positive predictive values (PPV), and measurement of areas under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: Differences between survivors and nonsurvivors in means of most proposed prognosticators was again demonstrated. However, the large overlap in these variables between survivors and nonsurvivors prevented clinically useful predictions. The overall PPV of elevated lactate was only 5.4%. Even in severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score >20; mortality 23%), elevated admission lactate level was a poor predictor of outcome. ROC analyses found no useful sensitivity threshold overall or after stratification by age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale score, revised trauma score, or mechanism of injury. CONCLUSIONS: This large retrospective examination of admission lactate levels failed to show useful predictive accuracy for hospital death. Serum lactate levels need not be obtained routinely but can be reserved for patients who will be admitted to the intensive care unit and/or require an emergency operation.     

Procalcitonin-a sepsis parameter in severe burn injuries

Procalcitonin (PCT) levels increase in patients with systemic infections; the highest levels have been found in sepsis. This study tested whether plasma procalcitonin level was related to sepsis, CRP, burn size, inhalation injury or mortality in severely burned patients over the entire clinical course.

In 27 patients with 51 (20–91)% TBSA, PCT was measured three times weekly from admission over the entire course of stay in a single ICU. Daily scoring by the “Baltimore Sepsis Scale” was performed. The patients were assigned to three groups depending on the clinical course and outcome: A=no septic complications, B=septic complications–survivors, C=septic complications–non-survivors.

PCT levels were elevated slightly at admission (mean 2.1 ng/ml) except in three patients who suffered electrical burns (mean 15.7 ng/ml). PCT peak levels correlated well with the Scoring values (r=0.84) while CRP did not (r=0.64). Peak PCT levels were significantly higher (p<0.005) in septic patients (B and C) who averaged 49.8±76.9 ng/ml, than in non-septic patients (A) who averaged peak levels of 2.3±3.7 ng/ml. The highest PCT levels were found immediately before death (86.8±97 ng/ml).

Seven patients had an inhalation injury III°. In these patients at 24 h postburn, there was no relationship between PCT levels and inhalation injury but during the later days postburn there were significant differences in PCT levels in patients with versus without inhalation injury. All patients with inhalation injury III° developed septic complications.

There was no positive correlation between the PCT-admission-levels and the TBSA, but there was a positive correlation between the TBSA and the mean peak PCT levels during the later days postburn (r=0.73; p<0.05). The cut-off value of 3 ng/ml we found reliable to indicate severe bacterial or fungal infection. PCT values over 10 ng/ml increasing over the following days were found only in life-threatening situations due to systemic infections. The individual course of PCT in one patient is more important than absolute values. PCT presented in this study as a useful diagnostic parameter in severely burned patients.     

C-reactive protein accurately predicts severity of acute pancreatitis in children

IntroductionPredicting severity of acute pancreatitis enables optimization of care, reducing morbidity and length of stay. Modified adult scoring systems have not been able to adequately predict severity in children.MethodsThis was a retrospective study of children presenting with a first episode of acute pancreatitis from 2002 to 2020 in a single tertiary paediatric surgical centre. Serum markers including CRP at 48 h of admission were analysed. Promising biomarkers underwent ROC (Receiver Operating Curve) analysis, and these were compared to the modified Glasgow Pancreas Score. An AUC (Area Under Curve) > 0.90 was taken as an excellent predictor of severity.ResultsData of 59 children were analysed, median age 13 years. 22 patients (37%) had a severe episode. ROC analysis demonstrated CRP as the best predictor of severity giving an AUC of 0.92. Optimum cut off value for CRP was 107.5 mg/L (p < 0.0001) producing sensitivity of 91%, specificity of 84%. This was superior to the modified Glasgow Pancreas score, which produced a sensitivity of 36% and specificity of 100%.ConclusionWe have shown that a CRP value of > 108 mg/L within 48 h of admission can be used to predict severity of acute pancreatitis in children with greater accuracy than current scoring systems.Type of studyDiagnostic test.Level of evidenceLevel I.     

Elevated serum procalcitonin early after extensive burn: influencing factors and clinical significance

The study was carried out to analyze the factors influencing the elevated serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels during the early phase of extensive burn, and to investigate its potential for sepsis prediction and prognosis. Clinical data of 324 patients with extensive burns treated at our department from July 2014 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Approximately half of the patients (50.93%) exhibited elevated serum PCT concentrations during the early phase, and elevated PCT levels may not be caused by infections. Early-phase PCT level was an independent risk factor for sepsis occurrence in extensive-burn patients within 60 days of injury. Burn index, degree of inhalation injury, and APACHE-II score influenced PCT level elevation during the early phase. Patient age, burn index, APACHE-II score at admission, early-phase PCT level, and sepsis occurrence were risk factors for mortality in extensive-burn patients. During the early phase, approximately 50.93% of the extensive-burn patients exhibited elevated PCT levels, which were associated with non-infectious factors. As elevated PCT level during the early phase predicted sepsis occurrence within 60 days of injury and was significantly associated with patient mortality, it might be a potential burn severity indicator during the early phase of burn injury.     

Diagnostic accuracy of neutrophil‐derived circulating free DNA (cf‐DNA/NETs) for septic arthritis

The release of “neutrophil extracellular traps” (NETs) has been identified as a novel immune response in innate immunity. NETs are composed of neutrophil‐derived circulating free DNA (cf‐DNA) and neutrophil cytoplasm‐derived proteins such as proteases. In this study, we analyzed the putative diagnostic value of synovial cf‐DNA/NETs for identification of septic arthritis. Forty‐two patients with a joint effusion who had undergone arthrocentesis were included. From synovial fluid, cf‐DNA/NETs (j‐cf‐DNA) levels were directly quantified. Diagnostic value of j‐cf‐DNA was compared with white blood cells (WBC), synovial white blood cells (j‐WBC), C‐reactive protein (CRP), j‐IL‐6, j‐TNF alpha, j‐IL‐1 beta, and myeloperoxidase (j‐MPO). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, as well as ROC‐curves for each parameter were calculated. Synovial fluid cf‐DNA/NETs values from patients with septic arthritis (3,286 ± 386 ng/ml, n = 9) were significantly increased compared to patients with noninfectious joint inflammation (1,040 ± 208 ng/ml, n = 17) or osteoarthritis (278 ± 34 ng/ml, n = 16, p < 0.01). In conjunction with j‐cf‐DNA, j‐IL‐6 and j‐IL‐1 beta were significantly elevated (p < 0.01), but WBC, CRP, and j‐WBC were not. At a cut‐off of 300 ng/ml, j‐cf‐DNA had a sensitivity of 0.89, a specificity of 1.0, a positive predictive value of 1.0, and a negative predictive value of 0.97. Receiver operation curves revealed largest areas under the curve for cf‐DNA/NETs (0.933) and j‐IL‐6 (0.951). cf‐DNA/NETs seem to be a valuable additional marker for the diagnosis of septic arthritis or periprosthetic infections. However, this result should be confirmed in a large clinical trial. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 27:1401–1407, 2009     

Serial measurement of presepsin,procalcitonin, and C‐reactive protein in the early postoperative period and the response to antithymocyte globulin administration after heart transplantation

Differentiation between systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis in surgical patients is of crucial significance. Procalcitonin (PCT) and C‐reactive protein (CRP) are widely used biomarkers, but PCT becomes compromised after antithymocyte globulin (ATG) administration, and CRP exhibits limited specificity. Presepsin has been suggested as an alternative biomarker of sepsis. This study aimed to demonstrate the role of presepsin in patients after heart transplantation (HTx). Plasma presepsin, PCT, and CRP were measured in 107 patients serially for up to 10 days following HTx. Time responses of biomarkers were evaluated for both noninfected (n=91) and infected (n=16) patients. Areas under the concentration curve differed in the two groups of patients for presepsin (P<.001), PCT (P<.005), and CRP (P<.001). The effect of time and infection was significant for all three biomarkers (P<.05 all). In contrast to PCT, presepsin was not influenced by ATG administration. More than 25% of noninfected patients had PCT above 42 μg/L on the first day, and the peak concentration of CRP in infected patients was reached on the third post‐transplant day (median 135 mg/L). Presepsin seems to be as valuable a biomarker as PCT or CRP in the evaluation of infectious complications in patients after HTx.     

Serum bicarbonate may replace the arterial base deficit in the trauma intensive care unit

OBJECTIVE: Arterial base deficit (BD) is a commonly used marker of injury severity and endpoint of resuscitation but requires an arterial puncture and blood gas analysis. Serum bicarbonate (HCO3) is routinely obtained as part of the chemistry panel on most admissions. We hypothesized that serum HCO3 strongly correlates with arterial BD and provides equivalent predictive information. METHODS: All trauma ICU admissions from 1996 to 2004 with simultaneously obtained serum chemistry panels and arterial blood gases were identified. Correlation between BD and HCO3 was analyzed by using linear regression, and predictive abilities for acidoses and mortality were compared using the area under the respective receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Separate analyses were done for the entire dataset and the subset of ICU admission laboratory values. RESULTS: We identified 3,102 patients with 50,311 matched pairs of laboratory data. Serum HCO3 showed a significant linear correlation with BD for all laboratory sets (r = 0.85, P < .01) and admission laboratory values only (r = 0.80, P < .01). Serum HCO3 reliably predicted the presence of significant metabolic acidoses (BD >5), with an AUC of 0.96 (P < .01), which clearly outperformed pH (AUC = 0.83), anion gap (AUC = 0.7), and lactate (AUC = 0.73). The mean admission BD among survivors was 2.5 versus 5.2 for nonsurvivors (P < .01), and the mean HCO3 was 17.7 versus 19.8 (P < .01). The admission HCO3 identified nonsurvivors as accurately as BD (AUCs of 0.66 and 0.68) and more accurately than either pH (AUC = 0.53) or anion gap (AUC = 0.6). CONCLUSION: Serum HCO3 measurement shows a strong linear correlation and similar predictive ability compared with the arterial BD. Serum HCO3 may be safely and accurately substituted for arterial BD measurement in critically injured patients.