Critical care clinics
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Several biomarkers have been developed to detect acute kidney injury (AKI) and predict outcomes. Most AKI biomarkers have been shown to be expressed before serum creatinine and to be more sensitive and specific than urine output. ⋯ A second generation of AKI biomarkers have been developed. These markers, including tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2 (TIMP-2) and insulinlike growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7), have obtained regulatory approval in many countries based on large, rigorous clinical studies and small, single-centered trials and have begun to establish clinical utility.
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Metabolomics is an emerging field of research interest in sepsis. Metabolomics provides new ways of exploring the diagnosis, mechanism, and prognosis of sepsis. ⋯ Furthermore, the dynamic interactions of the host and its microbiome can lead to further progression of sepsis. Understanding these interactions and the changes in the host's genomics and the microbiome can provide novel preventive and therapeutic strategies against sepsis.
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Critical illness syndromes, including sepsis and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), are identified using consensus definitions that are based on broad, clinically available criteria and include patients with heterogeneous biology. This heterogeneity is a barrier to developing and testing effective therapies for these syndromes. ⋯ These molecular phenotypes are associated with differences in mortality and predict response to several treatments in retrospective analyses of clinical trials. Biomarkers can be used for prognostic and predictive enrichment of clinical trials in critical illness to incorporate precision medicine in critical care.
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Biomarker panels have the potential to advance the field of critical care medicine by stratifying patients according to prognosis and/or underlying pathophysiology. This article discusses the discovery and validation of biomarker panels, along with their translation to the clinical setting. The current literature on the use of biomarker panels in sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and acute kidney injury is reviewed.
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Right ventricular failure is common in critically ill patients, as it frequently results from pulmonary embolism or pulmonary hypertension, and can complicate sepsis and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Right ventricular dysfunction can be challenging to manage and is associated with poor outcomes in this wide array of disease. Laboratory biomarkers are rapid, noninvasive, accurate, and widely available and thus are useful in the diagnosis and management of right ventricular dysfunction in the critically ill patient. This article discusses the pathophysiology of right ventricular failure and reviews the applications of commonly used biomarkers in right ventricular dysfunction in critical care.