Mortality prediction of septic patients by blood caspase-8 levels

• Published in: Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease Vol. 102; no. 4; p. 115639
• Main Authors: Lorente, Leonardo, Martín, María M., Ortiz-López, Raquel, González-Rivero, Agustín F., Villacampa-Jiménez, Jacobo J., Jiménez, Alejandro, Pérez-Cejas, Antonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.2022
• Subjects: Apoptosis; Caspase 8 - blood; Caspase-8; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Mortality; Outcome; Prognosis; Prospective Studies; Sepsis; Shock, Septic; Survivors; Caspase-8; Sepsis; Mortality; Outcome; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0732-8893; 1879-0070
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2022.115639

•Nonsurviving septic patients had were higher serum caspase-8 levels.•Serum caspase-8 could predict sepsis mortality.•Association between serum caspase-8 levels and sepsis mortality. We have not found data about blood caspase-8 concentrations (initiator caspase in the extrinsic pathway of apoptosis) during follow-up of sepsis and this was the objective of our study. We included septic patients. Serum caspase-8 concentrations were determined at days 1, 4, and 8 of sepsis diagnosis. We registered mortality at 30 days. Nonsurviving patients (n = 89) in respect to surviving patients (n = 160) showed higher serum caspase-8 levels at days 1 (P < 0.001), 4 (P <0.001), and 8 (P <0.001) of sepsis diagnosis. Serum caspase-8 levels on day 1, day 4, and day 8 had an area under curve for the prediction of 30-day mortality of 68% (60%-75%, P<0.001), 72% (62%–82%, P<0.001), and 81% (73%-90%, P<0.001). Thus, that blood caspase-8 concentrations at any time during the first week of sepsis were higher in non-survivor than in survivor patients and that were able to predict mortality were new findings in our study.