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Analysing biomarkers for sepsis diagnosis

It is estimated that there are around 123,000 cases of sepsis in England every year, resulting in around 36,900 deaths. In the fight against sepsis, modern haematology and haemostasis technology can assist in providing an early diagnosis of this devastating condition.

The identification of novel biomarkers for the prediction and/or early diagnosis of sepsis is crucial. Markers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) have been proposed for diagnosing or monitoring sepsis.1,2 The latter two biomarkers also increase in patients with inflammation due to trauma or surgery, and therefore their diagnostic relevance in critically ill patients with sepsis is far from perfect.3 Procalcitonin tests also show promise but there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend their routine adoption in the NHS.4 

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends that the first essential step is to identify suspected infection.5 There also needs to be a differential diagnosis between sepsis and non-infectious systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The full blood count (FBC) and coagulation screen are among the first laboratory tests available to clinicians and therefore changes in parameters could provide potential biomarkers for infection and sepsis. The Sysmex range of analysers has unique parameters and graphical displays that can be of value to staff looking for signs of sepsis in samples from accident and emergency (A&E) or the intensive care unit (ICU).

White blood cell parameters

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Upcoming Events

Diversity, inclusion and equality in surgery conference

RCS England Headquarters, London, WC2A 3PE
30th September 2023

UK Respiratory Infections Seminar

Mary Ward House, London
4th October 2023

Ecolab's Public Health & Sustainability Day

Old Trafford, Manchester United
10th October 2023

CSC Autumn Study Day 2023

LMI conference centre, Liverpool
16th October 2023

Prevent, Protect, Provide: Minimising infections for patients and the NHS

The Clermont Hotel, London, WC2N 5HX
30th October 2023

Infection 360 Conference

Pendulum Hotel and Manchester Conference Centre
8th - 9th November 2023

Access the latest issue of Clinical Services Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Clinical Services Journal app from your device's App store

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