Significance of presepsin as severity assessment and monitoring

Abstract

Presepsin (P-SEP) a sepsis biomarker developed in Japan, is covered by insurance, and widely used in clinical practice. It was considered that it should not be used alone as a diagnostic tool, and it was, accordingly, positioned as an auxiliary diagnostic marker. However, there have been several reports from Japan, in recent years, that P-SEP is more useful than other biomarkers in the prediction and monitoring of infections in various postoperative patients. Because sepsis is associated with organ damage such as acute kidney injury and disseminated intravascular coagulation that increases the mortality rate, P-SEP has been found to be useful in evaluating and monitoring the severity of sepsis cases. Additionally, it serves as a valuable criterion for antibiotic discontinuation. These findings are summarized in the following review.