The Open Emergency Medicine Journal

2013, 5 : 16-18
Published online 2013 September 06. DOI: 10.2174/1876542401305010016
Publisher ID: TOEMJ-5-16

Role of Angiopoietin-2 in Medical-Ward Patients with SIRS/Sepsis

Marina De Roia , Giulia Montanari , Nicola Altamura , Chiara Casarsa , Luigi Cattin , Gianni Biolo , Filippo Mearelli , Nicola Fiotti , Michela Zanetti , Daniele Orso , Tommaso Stefanucci , Antonella Nigro , Alessandra Iudicello , Denis Valentini , Silvia Marizza , Daniele Peric , Alessandro Occhipinti , Giovanni Fernandes and Irene Paoli
Department of Medical, Surgical, Health Sciences, University of Trieste – Trieste Italy.

ABSTRACT

Background:

SIRS/sepsis accounts for vast majority of deaths in ICU a medical ward department. More than 650,000 cases of sepsis are diagnosed in the United States annually, with 30-50% mortality and individually cost more than 22,000 dollars.

Biomarkers could be useful tools for early risk stratification in these patients. Angiopioietin-2 (Ang-2) is a proinflammatory mediator of endothelial injury, which has received considerable attention over the past decade but little is known about its correlation with organ failure and mortality in SIRS/sepsis admitted to a medical ward.

Methods:

Ang-2 plasma levels, Charlson index, SOFA and routine laboratory test were carried out in 80 SIRS patients admitted to medical ward within 4 hours from diagnosis.

Survival and organ dysfunction in the following week were recorded.

Investigators were blinded from Ang-2 results.

Results:

Ang-2 plasma levels were higher in patients suffering from renal, pulmonary and hemostatic dysfunction (16, 6, 4% respectively) and patients who died within 1 week (11%). Ang-2 plasma levels higher than 15 μ/mL account for 13 fold increased risk of death with 94% negative predictive value.

Conclusions:

Ang-2 plasma level at admission is predictive of early mortality and kidney, lung and hemostasis dysfunction in SIRS/sepsis patients newly admitted in a medical ward.

Keywords:

Angiopoietin-2, SIRS, sepsis, medical ward, biomarkers.