suPAR in Intensive Care
In critically ill patients, the suPAR level is significantly increased. suPAR is an independent prognostic marker, and the change over time correlates with organ dysfunction.
suPAR is elevated and has a prognostic value in patients with:
- SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome)1,2
- Sepsis/septic shock3-9
- Burn injuries10
- Traumatic brain injuries11
The suPAR level reflects the body’s immune response to infections, and the level increases with the severity of the infection. In patients with organ dysfunction, the suPAR level in ng/mL is often a two-digit value. In particular, hepatic and renal dysfunction affects the suPAR level3-5.
suPAR has been studied in patients with SIRS who were acutely admitted to the Emergency Department (n=902). The studies showed that suPAR is a stronger marker of 2-day, 30-day, and 90-day mortality than age, CRP, IL-6, creatinine, and procalcitonin. However, for diagnostic purposes, IL-6 and CRP are superior to suPAR in predicting a positive blood culture1,2.
A Greek multicenter study including 1.914 patients with sepsis showed that suPAR is a strong predictor of mortality. A suPAR level above 12 ng/mL is linked to a >80% sensitivity and a negative predictive value of 94.5%6 for mortality.
In addition, the prognostic value of suPAR in patients with sepsis is independent of relevant covariates like APACHE score, CRP, etc.6-9.
“suPARnostic® … provide[s] quick and reliable results in less than one hour from patient sampling to results in the hands of the clinicians.”
Claus Lohman Brasen, Senior hospital physician, PhD, Dept. of Biochemistry and Immunology, Lillebaelt Hospital, Denmark
ViroGates Company announcement no. 15 – 2019
In patients with burn injuries and inhalation trauma requiring mechanical ventilation, the plasma suPAR level and BAL fluid level correlate to IL-6 and coagulation factors. An elevated plasma suPAR level is associated with prolonged ICU stay and the duration of mechanical ventilation10.
The suPAR level is also elevated in patients with traumatic brain injury. In trauma patients who have suffered brain injury within 12 hours, the mean suPAR level was 14.9 ng/mL ± 6.9 vs 2.8 ng/mL ± 0.7 in control subjects. In these patients, suPAR is associated with the severity of the brain injury and with mortality11.
