Role of C-reactive Protein as an Indicator for Determining the Outcome of Sepsis

It has been observed that after any injury which is acute and also in the setting of inflammation or infection, the synthesis and secretion of C-reactive protein (CRP) rises within a few hours. The current study monitors CRP in patients presenting with sepsis and attempts to prove that it is one of the most reliable tests in determining the resolution and predicting the outcome.

During 12 months, 97 individuals with culture-proven sepsis were included, and a prospective observational study was done. Patients were assessed clinically by recording vitals, mean arterial pressure, Glasgow coma scale score, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score as well as assessment of arterial blood gas and other blood investigations, which included CRP, total white cell count, differential count, serum creatinine, serum bilirubin on day 0, day 2 and day 5 after initiating antibiotics. To test the statistical significance of the difference in mean percentage changes of the different study variables between living and expired groups at day 2 and day 5, Wilcoxon's rank sum test was applied due to the non-normal distribution of values and small sample sizes.

The percentage drop of the mean of CRP from day 0 to day 2 was 23.33% in the living group, and there was an increase of 4.73 % in the expired group. The percentage drop of the mean of CRP on day 5 when compared to day 0, was significant in the living group.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a more useful tool in predicting improvement and outcome in patients admitted with sepsis when compared to scoring systems like SOFA score.

AIMS: Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, C1q: Complement 1q, CRP: C-reactive Protein, PCT: Procalcitonin, SOFA: Sequential organ failure assessment.

Anush MM, Ashok VK, Sarma RIN, Pillai SK. Role of C-reactive Protein as an Indicator for Determining the Outcome of Sepsis. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, January 2019; 23(1):11-14.