The role of plasma presepsin levels in determining the incidence of septic shock and mortality in patients with sepsis

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the role of plasma presepsin in the early detection of septic shock and in determining the prognosis and mortality of patients with sepsis. Methodology: The study was conducted in the emergency department between 1 January 2017 and 1 July 2017. A total of 106 patients 18 years of age or older who were diagnosed with sepsis according to the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) criteria were included in this prospective study. The patients’ symptoms, vital signs, additional diseases, demographic attributes, laboratory results, Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis (MEDS) scores, imaging findings and treatments were recorded. Moreover, the patients’ blood samples were collected to measure plasma presepsin, procalcitonin and CRP levels. Results: In total, 55.7% of the patients were female. The median age of the patients was 78 (24–103) years, and their 30-day mortality rate was 67%. The presepsin level was significantly higher in the sepsis group than in the healthy control group (p < 0.001). The presepsin levels did not differ significantly between the sepsis and septic shock groups (p = 0.12). Similarly, the procalcitonin levels did not differ significantly between the sepsis and septic shock groups (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the presepsin, procalcitonin and CRP levels between survivor and non-survivor patients (p = 0.74). Conclusions: The plasma presepsin level was found to be ineffective in determining the incidence of septic shock and mortality in patients with sepsis in the emergency department.