DefinePK

Abstract

Background: Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition caused by the body’s abnormal reaction to infection and involves multiple organ dysfunction and high death rates, especially in the ICUs. In clinical practice today, there is APACHE II, SOFA, and some other prognostic scores which can be used for evaluation of septic patients; however, more specific biomarkers are required for the prognosis of sepsis outcomes. Objective: This manuscript seeks to determine the baseline PCT and D-Dimer and their ability to predict 28-day mortality in patients diagnosed with sepsis in the ICU. Method: An exploratory, prospective cohort design was employed at the ICU of Lahore General Hospital over six months. This work involved 60 septic patients who were confirmed using the Sepsis-3 criteria. The PCT and D-Dimer level in the bloodstream at admission to the ICU was also measured, using the Eleusis® Roche Diagnostics analyzer. Chi-square tests were used to compare medians of biomarkers of survivors and non-survivors with signification level of p< 0.05.  Results: It was revealed that the mean PCT level was higher in non-survivors (15.2 ng/mL) than in survivors (4.1 ng/mL; p < 0.01). Likewise, D-Dimer was higher in non-survivors (1260 ng/mL) compared with the survivors (520 ng/mL); p < 0.01. These results show positive association of elevated PCT and DD value with 28-day mortality in septic patients. Conclusion: Procalcitonin and D-Dimer hold potential as prognostic biomarkers for 28-day mortality in septic ICU patients, the study has shown. From the benchmarks obtained, it can be concluded that these biomarkers can enhance stratification and help clinicians diagnose and treat high-risk patients. Further studies must incorporate more participants and assess these biomarkers, at different time points of sepsis management.