Diagnostic Value of Presepsin for Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Several individual studies have reported the diagnostic accuracy of presepsin (sCD14-ST) for sepsis, but the results are inconsistent. The present systematic review and meta-analysis pooled data to better ascertain the value of circulatory presepsin as a biomarker for sepsis. Studies published in English before November 7, 2014 and assessing the diagnostic accuracy of presepsin for sepsis were retrieved from medical databases. The quality of eligible studies was assessed using a revised Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS-2). The overall diagnostic accuracy of presepsin for sepsis was pooled according to a bivariate model. Publication bias was assessed using Deek funnel plot asymmetry test. Eleven studies satisfied the inclusion criteria. The overall diagnostic sensitivity of presepsin for sepsis was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.77–0.88), and specificity was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.72–0.83). The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84–0.90). The pretest probability of sepsis was 0.56 among all subjects. When presepsin was introduced as the diagnostic test for sepsis, the posttest probabilities were 0.81 for a positive result and 0.19 for a negative. The major design deficits of the included studies were lack of prespecified thresholds and patient selection bias. The publication bias was negative. Presepsin is an effective adjunct biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis, but is insufficient to detect or rule out sepsis when used alone.