Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin and interleukin-6 for postoperative infection in major gastrointestinal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

recAP administration ameliorates sepsis outcomes through modulation of gut and liver inflammation

Sepsis, broadly described as a systemic infection, is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. There are limited therapeutic options available that either improve survival and/or improve the quality of life in survivors. Ilofotase alfa, also known as recombinant alkaline phosphatase (recAP), has been associated with reduced mortality in a subset of patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury. However, whether recAP exhibits any therapeutic benefits in other organ systems beyond the kidney is less clear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of recAP on survival, behavior, and intestinal inflammation in a mouse model of sepsis, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Following CLP, either recAP or saline vehicle was administered via daily intraperitoneal injections to determine its treatment efficacy from early through late sepsis. We found that administration of recAP suppressed indices of inflammation in the gut and liver but did not improve survival or behavioral outcomes. These results demonstrate that recAP's therapeutic efficacy in the gut and liver may provide a valuable treatment to improve long-term outcomes in sepsis survivors.

Management of Sepsis in the First 24 Hours: Bundles of Care and Individualized Approach

Early diagnosis and prompt management are essential to enhance the outcomes of patients with sepsis and septic shock. Over the past two decades, evidence-based guidelines have guided appropriate treatment and recommended the implementation of a bundle strategy to deliver fundamental treatments within the initial hours of care. Shortly after its introduction, the implementation of a bundle strategy has led to a substantial decrease in mortality rates across various health care settings. The primary advantage of these bundles is their universality, making them applicable to all patients with sepsis. However, this same quality also represents their primary disadvantage as it fails to account for the significant heterogeneity within the septic patient population. Recently, the individualization of treatments included in the bundle has been suggested as a potential strategy for further improving the prognosis of patients with sepsis. New strategies for the early identification of microorganisms and their resistance patterns, advanced knowledge of antibiotic kinetics in critically ill patients, more conservative fluid therapy in specific patient populations, and early use of alternative vasopressors to catecholamines, as well as tailored source control based on patient conditions and site of infection, are potential approaches to personalize initial care for specific subgroups of patients. These innovative methodologies have the potential to improve the management of septic shock. However, their implementation in clinical practice should be guided by solid evidence. Therefore, it is imperative that future research evaluate the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of these strategies.

Diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-6 in multiple diseases: An umbrella review of meta-analyses

Objective

This review aims to conduct a comprehensive study of the diagnostic accuracy of interleukin-6 (IL-6) for multiple diseases by utilizing existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Methods

We performed a thorough search of Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews up to April 2023 to gather meta-analyses that investigate the diagnostic accuracy of IL-6. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, we employed the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews-2 and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation criteria.

Results

We included 34 meta-analyses out of the 3024 articles retrieved from the search. These meta-analyses covered 9 categories of diseases of the International Classification of Diseases-11. Studies rated as "Critically Low" or "Very Low" in the quality assessment process were excluded, resulting in a total of 6 meta-analyses that encompassed sepsis, colorectal cancer, tuberculous pleural effusion (TPE), endometriosis, among others. Among these diseases, IL-6 demonstrated a relatively high diagnostic potential in accurately identifying TPE and endometriosis.

Conclusions

IL-6 exhibited favorable diagnostic accuracy across multiple diseases, suggesting its potential as a reliable diagnostic biomarker in the near future. Substantial evidence supported its high diagnostic accuracy, particularly in the cases of TPE and endometriosis.

Interleukin-6 on postoperative day three as an early predictor of infections following laparoscopic gastric cancer resection

BACKGROUND

To investigate the role of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) as early predictors of infectious complications after laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery.

METHODS

Patients who underwent laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery between January 2020 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. IL-6, PCT, and CRP levels were assessed before surgery and on postoperative days (PODs) 3 and 5. Differences in serum IL-6, PCT, and CRP levels between the infected and non-infected groups were compared. The diagnostic accuracy was determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

RESULTS

A total of 206 patients were enrolled, and 21 patients (10.19%) developed postoperative infections. Serum IL-6, PCT, and CRP levels in the infected group were significantly higher than those in the non-infected group on PODs 3 and 5. IL-6 with an optimal cutoff value of 84.00 pg/mL (AUC 0.84), PCT with an optimal cutoff value of 1.39 ng/mL (AUC 0.80), CRP with an optimal cutoff value of 150.00 mg/L (AUC 0.76) on POD 3 had superior diagnostic accuracy in predicting postoperative infections. Multivariate analysis identified PCT and IL-6 levels on POD 3 as independent risk factors, the AUC of the combination of IL-6 and PCT was 0.89. The Delong test showed no difference between the AUC of IL-6 alone and IL-6 combined with PCT prediction (P = 0.07, Z = 1.81).

CONCLUSIONS

IL-6 level on POD 3 is an excellent predictor of infectious complications following laparoscopic gastric cancer surgery. Patients with IL-6 levels lower than 84.00 pg/mL on POD 3 can ensure safe early discharge with a low probability of infection.

Procalcitonin for the diagnosis of postoperative bacterial infection after adult cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Patients undergoing cardiac surgery are subject to infectious complications that adversely affect outcomes. Rapid identification is essential for adequate treatment. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a noninvasive blood test that could serve this purpose, however its validity in the cardiac surgery population is still debated. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the accuracy of PCT for the diagnosis of postoperative bacterial infection after cardiac surgery.

METHODS

We included studies on adult cardiac surgery patients, providing estimates of test accuracy. Search was performed on PubMed, EmBase and WebOfScience on April 12th, 2023 and rerun on September 15th, 2023, limited to the last 10 years. Study quality was assessed with the QUADAS-2 tool. The pooled measures of performance and diagnostic accuracy, and corresponding 95% Confidence Intervals (CI), were calculated using a bivariate regression model. Due to the variation in reported thresholds, we used a multiple-thresholds within a study random effects model for meta-analysis (diagmeta R-package).

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included in the systematic review, and 10 (2984 patients) in the meta-analysis. All studies were single-center with observational design, five of which with retrospective data collection. Quality assessment highlighted various issues, mainly concerning lack of prespecified thresholds for the index test in all studies. Results of bivariate model analysis using multiple thresholds within a study identified the optimal threshold at 3 ng/mL, with a mean sensitivity of 0.67 (0.47-0.82), mean specificity of 0.73 (95% CI 0.65-0.79), and AUC of 0.75 (IC95% 0.29-0.95). Given its importance for practice, we also evaluated PCT's predictive capability. We found that positive predictive value is at most close to 50%, also with a high prevalence (30%), and the negative predictive value was always > 90% when prevalence was < 20%.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that PCT may be used to help rule out infection after cardiac surgery. The optimal threshold of 3 ng/mL identified in this work should be confirmed with large, well-designed randomized trials that evaluate the test's impact on health outcomes and on the use of antibiotic therapy. PROSPERO Registration number CRD42023415773. Registered 22 April 2023.

Diagnostic efficacy of serum presepsin for postoperative infectious complications: a meta-analysis

Background

Postoperative infectious complications (PICs) are major concerns. Early and accurate diagnosis is critical for timely treatment and improved outcomes. Presepsin is an emerging biomarker for bacterial infections. However, its diagnostic efficacy for PICs across surgical specialties remains unclear.

Methods

In this study, a systematic search on MEDLINE, Embase, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library was performed on September 30, 2023, to identify studies that evaluated presepsin for diagnosing PICs. PIC is defined as the development of surgical site infection or remote infection. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (HSROC) curves were calculated. The primary outcome was the assessment of the efficacy of presepsin for PIC diagnosis, and the secondary outcome was the investigation of the reliability of procalcitonin or C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis of PICs.

Results

This meta-analysis included eight studies (n = 984) and revealed that the pooled sensitivity and specificity of presepsin for PIC diagnosis were 76% (95% confidence interval [CI] 68%-82%) and 83% (95% CI 75%-89%), respectively. The HSROC curve yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% CI 0.73-0.81). Analysis of six studies on procalcitonin showed a combined sensitivity of 78% and specificity of 77%, with an AUC of 0.83 derived from the HSROC. Meanwhile, data from five studies on CRP indicated pooled sensitivity of 84% and specificity of 79%, with the HSROC curve yielding an AUC of 0.89.

Conclusion

Presepsin exhibits moderate diagnostic accuracy for PIC across surgical disciplines. Based on the HSROC-derived AUC, CRP has the highest diagnostic efficacy for PICs, followed by procalcitonin and presepsin. Nonetheless, presepsin demonstrated greater specificity than the other biomarkers. Further study is warranted to validate the utility of and optimize the cutoff values for presepsin.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42023468358.

One biomarker does not fit all: tailoring anti-infective therapy through utilization of procalcitonin and other specific biomarkers

INTRODUCTION

Considering the ongoing increase in antibiotic resistance, the importance of judicious use of antibiotics through reduction of exposure is crucial. Adding procalcitonin (PCT) and other biomarkers to pathogen-specific tests may help to further improve antibiotic therapy algorithms and advance antibiotic stewardship programs to achieve these goals.

AREAS COVERED

In recent years, several trials have investigated the inclusion of biomarkers such as PCT into clinical decision-making algorithms. For adult patients, findings demonstrated improvements in the individualization of antibiotic treatment, particularly for patients with respiratory tract infections and sepsis. While most trials were performed in hospitals with central laboratories, point-of-care testing might further advance the field by providing a cost-effective and rapid diagnostic tool in upcoming years. Furthermore, novel biomarkers including CD-64, presepsin, Pancreatic stone and sTREM-1, have all shown promising results for increased accuracy of sepsis diagnosis. Availability of these markers however is currently still limited and there is insufficient evidence for their routine use in clinical care.

EXPERT OPINION

In addition to new host-response markers, combining such biomarkers with pathogen-directed diagnostics present a promising strategy to increase algorithm accuracy in differentiating between bacterial and viral infections. Recent advances in microbiologic testing using PCR or nucleic amplification tests may further improve the diagnostic yield and promote more targeted pathogen-specific antibiotic therapy.

Role of Procalcitonin and C-reactive Protein as Predictors of Sepsis and in Managing Sepsis in Postoperative Patients: A Systematic Review

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and sepsis are inflammatory responses to infection or trauma, causing symptoms and adverse outcomes such as organ shutdown and death. Different scoring systems can help in the diagnosis of SIRS and sepsis. Several biomarkers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and white blood cells (WBCs) can serve as predictors of sepsis. Surgery, trauma, and burns are the non-inflammatory causes of SIRS and sepsis. In postoperative patients, both inflammatory and non-inflammatory causes of immune response may co-exist. The role of inflammatory biomarkers in identifying sepsis development, deciding to use antibiotics, and discharging patients needs further exploration and clarity. We searched medical databases such as PubMed/Medline, PMC, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar for relevant medical literature. The identified papers were screened, eligibility criteria were applied, and 15 research papers were identified. The finalized papers explored the roles of CRP and PCT in postoperative patients. Both CRP and PCT are raised in a postoperative patient, and then, gradually, the levels decrease. However, in case of an infection, these levels continue to rise and signify an infection, which may progress to sepsis. The cut-off values can guide decision-making about when to start antibiotics and discharge the patient. PCT was found to be more reliable in identifying the infection and preventing the development of sepsis. Further research is needed to identify the exact cut-off values that can help in decision-making.