Clinic-first sepsis recognition in the ICU: a proteomics-guided, parsimonious model with independent validation

A proteomics-informed, clinic-first strategy produced a parsimonious set of routine variables that discriminated sepsis from other ICU critical illness with clinically meaningful accuracy and an immediately actionable footprint. Because most predictors are routinely captured in the EHR, the model is EHR-compatible; CCL3 is readily measurable on standard immunoassay platforms if adopted locally. These findings justify multicenter studies to confirm generalizability and calibration, evaluate real-time integration into ICU workflows, and test whether an early recognition adjunct improves timeliness of sepsis care and patient outcomes.