SeptAsTERS- SeptiCyte® RAPID as assessment tool for early recognition of sepsis – a prospective observational study

Early recognition of sepsis is critical to patient outcome, with mortality increasing with every hour of delay in treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of a point-of-care molecular host response assay to differentiate sepsis from inflammation after surgery.

Three molecular host response assays (SeptiCyte® RAPID) were performed in 61 patients after major abdominal surgery with admission to the intensive care unit and drawn blood cultures. The first (T0) was taken ± 3 h around the time of obtaining blood cultures, the second 24 h later (T24) and the third at discharge from the intensive care unit (Tex). The primary endpoint was the agreement of SeptiCyte® RAPID results with the diagnosis of sepsis. SeptiScore® indicates sepsis probability (low risk 0 - high risk 15). Patients were retrospectively classified into sepsis and inflammation by three blinded experts.

25 (42.4%) patients were categorized as “inflammation” and 34 (57.6%) patients as “sepsis”. At T0 and T24 septic patients showed significantly higher mean SeptiScores® of 8.0 (± 2.2 SD) vs. 6.3 (± 2.1 SD) and 8.5 (± 2.1 SD) vs. 6.2 (± 1.8 SD), respectively. The Receiver Operating Curves (ROC) for the ability to discriminate between sepsis and inflammation had an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.71 (T0) and 0.80 (T24).

Embedded in a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm molecular host response analysis could broaden the possibilities for infection diagnostics to differentiate between sepsis and inflammatory response after surgery. But validation in larger cohorts is needed.