Association between plasma adiponectin levels and left ventricular systolic dysfunction in sepsis patients

As a well-known cardioprotective factor, the relevance of adiponectin (APN) to heart function following sepsis remains largely unknown. The present study evaluated the effects of plasma APN levels on heart function and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients.

This was a prospective study that was performed with 98 patients with sepsis and 32 controls. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) was defined as a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 45% based on echocardiography. The effects of APN on the development of sepsis-related LVSD and prediction of 28-day mortality were evaluated.

Plasma APN levels significantly decreased in sepsis patients compared with controls, with rising severity of illness, and positively correlated with the LVEF and stroke volume index. Sepsis patients with LVSD had lower APN levels than patients without LVSD. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve, plasma APN levels had the comparable value in prediction of LVSD incidence than those conditional factors, including brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and highly sensitive cardiac troponin T (hsTnT). Twenty-three of the 98 sepsis patients (23.47%) died at 28 days. Adiponectin levels were an independent predictive factor for 28-day mortality.

Low APN levels were associated with the incidence of LVSD and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. Adiponectin may be a novel factor that may be useful for the diagnosis of LVSD.