Pentraxin 3, a Predicator for 28-Day Mortality in Patients With Septic Shock

Background: Useful biomarkers that can serve as prognostic predictors are of great value in clinical practice because of the complex individual response to sepsis. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3), as a multifunctional pattern-recognition molecule, has been reported to be closely associated with the severity of infectious diseases in intensive care units (ICU). The aim of this study was to investigate whether PTX3 could serve as a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with septic shock. Materials and Methods: This single-center prospective observational study was conducted during May 2012-May 2015 in the ICU of Taizhou People's Hospital. We compared the clinical data and laboratory tests in surviving and deceased patients with septic shock within 28 days from admission. Potential independent prognostic factors for septic shock were analyzed by using univariate and multiple Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Results: A total of 112 patients admitted to the ICU with septic shock were enrolled in our study with an overall 28-day mortality of 25.9% (29 of 112 patients). PTX3 level was the only independent risk factor for the 28-day mortality by univariate and multivariate Cox analysis (hazard ratio = 3.87; 95% CI: 1.66-8.81, P = 0.004). The deceased patients had significant higher levels of PTX3 at the 4 different points (baseline, day 1, day 2 and day 3) versus the survivors (P < 0.001). Results from Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test revealed that high PTX3 level (above the median value) was statistically associated with a lower 28-day survival rate (P = 0.014). Conclusions: The baseline PTX3 level was an independent predictor for 28-day mortality in patients with septic shock.