Diagnostic Characteristics of Procalcitonin and Phospholipase A2 in Patients with Sepsis

Background:The worldwide impact of sepsis is greater than previously thought, necessitating immediate action.Second, according to the Healthcare Access and Quality Index, there has been significant variance in sepsis incidence and death, with the largest burden in regions that are least suited to prevent, detect, and treat sepsis.Present study aimed to assess the phospholipase A 2 (PLA 2 ) levels in sepsis patients and compare with procalcitonin level among them to derive the diagnostic characteristics. Materials and methods:The present observational study was conducted among the patients admitted with sepsis in tertiary care hospital from January 2022 to December 2022 for a period of 1 year.A total sample of 246 patients was screened, and finally, 160 patients were included who fulfilled the inclusion criteria.All the patients with sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score criteria of more than or equal to 2 and age of more than 18 years were included.The blood samples were also drawn to do routine investigation, which included the complete blood picture, liver function test, renal function test, and special markers, which included PLA 2 , procalcitonin, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate.Result: The present study included a total of 160 patients with a mean age of 57.8 17.65 years; among them, 41.3% were female, and 58.7% were male patients.Culture positivity was observed in 45.8% of patients for blood culture and 17% of patients for urine culture.Among the urine cultures, 13.6% were positive for Escherichia coli, 1.7% for Enterobacter cloacae, and Klebsiella pneumoniae.The study documented that serum PLA 2 had a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC) of 0.99 compared to serum procalcitonin AUC = 0.956.Conclusion: There is a significantly higher mean level of PLA 2 in patients presenting with sepsis compared to other biomarkers like procalcitonin.