Proenkephalin Predicts Organ Failure, Renal Replacement Therapy, and Mortality in Patients With Sepsis
Hanah Kim, Mina Hur, Joachim Struck, Andreas Bergmann, Salvatore Di Somma, GREAT Network
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Kidney failure occurs frequently and is associated with high mortality during sepsis. Proenkephalin (PENK) is an emerging biomarker of kidney function. We explored whether PENK levels could predict severity, organ failure, and mortality in septic patients. METHODS: We measured the PENK level in the plasma of 215 septic patients using the sphingotest penKid assay (Sphingotec GmbH, Hennigsdorf, Germany). This was analyzed in terms of sepsis severity, vasopressor use, 30-day mortality, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) renal subscore, the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration estimated glomerular filtration rate (CKD-EPI eGFR) categories, and renal replacement therapy (RRT) requirement. RESULTS: ), RRT requirement, SOFA renal subscore, and the number of organ failures differed significantly according to the PENK quartile (P for trend<0.001 or 0.017). The 30-day mortality rate also differed significantly according to the PENK quartile (P for trend<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PENK could be an objective and reliable marker to predict severity, organ failure, and 30-day mortality in septic patients.