New study addresses the use of plasma calprotectin in sepsis management

15 Feb 2023 13:24 CET

Moss, 15 February 2023

Gentian Diagnostics ASA, a fast growing developer and manufacturer of diagnostic
tests, is pleased to announce that the results from a study conducted in
collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital, confirming the value of
calprotectin in management of patients with suspected sepsis are published in
the scientific journal BMC Emergency Medicine with the title “ Plasma
calprotectin as an indicator of need of transfer to intensive care in patients
with suspected sepsis at the emergency department”.

The study was performed in patients with suspected sepsis presented at the
Emergency Department (ED) at Karolinska University Hospital. Patients with
suspected sepsis trigger a sepsis alert, resulting in urgent (within 15 minutes)
clinical assessment by a multidisciplinary team of physicians to identify
whether infection is present, optimise clinical care and take a decision
regarding the level of care. Early recognition and treatment of septic patients
have been shown to improve patient outcomes, and it is a need for biomarkers
which will support clinical decisions.

The aim of this study was to compare performance of calprotectin and the
routinely used biomarkers procalcitonin (PCT), C reactive protein (CRP) and
Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) in estimation of disease severity and the
prediction of the need for admission to intensive care for patients with
suspected sepsis.

In total, 592 patients triggered the sepsis alert during the study period, of
which 351 were included in the study. Among these, 319 patients had an
infection, 66 were transferred to intensive care and 253 to the general ward.

Calprotectin was the only biomarker able to distinguish between patients with
bacterial infection and no infection. Moreover, levels of calprotectin were
significantly higher in patients transferred to higher level of care compared to
patients admitted to the general ward. No similar tendency was observed for PCT,
CRP, or NLR.

The study results confirm elevated levels of calprotectin in patients with
infection and show superior performance of calprotectin compared to CRP, PCT and
NLR in detecting patients with need for direct transfer to intensive care.

Early identification of patients with severe disease requiring higher level of
care is of critical importance for optimal patient care and use of healthcare
resources. The authors concluded that calprotectin appears to be a useful
biomarker in the management of patients with sepsis.

The full study can be accessed using the following link: https://rdcu.be/c5E4U

For further information please contact:

Hilja Ibert, CEO
hilja.ibert@gentian.no
+47 919 05 242 (mobile)

Njaal Kind, CFO and COO
njaal.kind@gentian.no
+47 919 06 525 (mobile)

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