Immunothrombosis Biomarkers for Distinguishing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients From Noncoronavirus Disease Septic Patients With Pneumonia and for Predicting ICU Mortality

Erblin Cani, BSc; Dhruva J. Dwivedi, PhD; Kao-Lee Liaw, PhD; Douglas D. Fraser, MD, PhD, FRCPC; Calvin H. Yeh, MD, PhD; Claudio Martin, MSc, MD, FRCPC; Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD, FRCPC; Samantha E. Cerroni, BSc; Alison A. Fox-Robichaud, MSc, MD, FRCPC; Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD, FRCPS; Paul Y. Kim, PhD; Patricia C. Liaw, PhD; on behalf of the Canadian Critical Care Translational Biology Group (CCCTBG) and the COVID-BEACONS investigators

doi:10.1097/CCE.0000000000000588

Critical Care Explorations (Dec 2021)

Immunothrombosis Biomarkers for Distinguishing Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients From Noncoronavirus Disease Septic Patients With Pneumonia and for Predicting ICU Mortality

Erblin Cani, BSc,
Dhruva J. Dwivedi, PhD,
Kao-Lee Liaw, PhD,
Douglas D. Fraser, MD, PhD, FRCPC,
Calvin H. Yeh, MD, PhD,
Claudio Martin, MSc, MD, FRCPC,
Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD, FRCPC,
Samantha E. Cerroni, BSc,
Alison A. Fox-Robichaud, MSc, MD, FRCPC,
Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD, FRCPS,
Paul Y. Kim, PhD,
Patricia C. Liaw, PhD,
on behalf of the Canadian Critical Care Translational Biology Group (CCCTBG) and the COVID-BEACONS investigators

Affiliations

Erblin Cani, BSc: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Dhruva J. Dwivedi, PhD: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Kao-Lee Liaw, PhD: 4 School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Douglas D. Fraser, MD, PhD, FRCPC: 5 Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
Calvin H. Yeh, MD, PhD: 9 Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Claudio Martin, MSc, MD, FRCPC: 5 Lawson Health Research Institute, London, ON, Canada.
Marat Slessarev, MD, PhD, FRCPC: 10 Department of Medicine, Western University, London, ON, Canada.
Samantha E. Cerroni, BSc: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Alison A. Fox-Robichaud, MSc, MD, FRCPC: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD, FRCPS: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Paul Y. Kim, PhD: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Patricia C. Liaw, PhD: 1 Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute (TaARI), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
on behalf of the Canadian Critical Care Translational Biology Group (CCCTBG) and the COVID-BEACONS investigators

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/CCE.0000000000000588
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 3, no. 12
p. e0588

Abstract

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IMPORTANCE:. Coronavirus disease 2019 patients have an increased risk of thrombotic complications that may reflect immunothrombosis, a process characterized by blood clotting, endothelial dysfunction, and the release of neutrophil extracellular traps. To date, few studies have investigated longitudinal changes in immunothrombosis biomarkers in these patients. Furthermore, how these longitudinal changes differ between coronavirus disease 2019 patients and noncoronavirus disease septic patients with pneumonia are unknown. OBJECTIVES:. In this pilot observational study, we investigated the utility of immunothrombosis biomarkers for distinguishing between coronavirus disease 2019 patients and noncoronavirus disease septic patients with pneumonia. We also evaluated the utility of the biomarkers for predicting ICU mortality in these patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:. The participants were ICU patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (n = 14), noncoronavirus disease septic patients with pneumonia (n = 19), and healthy age-matched controls (n = 14). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:. Nine biomarkers were measured from plasma samples (on days 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, and/or 14). Analysis was based on binomial logit models and receiver operating characteristic analyses. RESULTS:. Cell-free DNA, d-dimer, soluble endothelial protein C receptor, protein C, soluble thrombomodulin, fibrinogen, citrullinated histones, and thrombin-antithrombin complexes have significant powers for distinguishing coronavirus disease 2019 patients from healthy individuals. In comparison, fibrinogen, soluble endothelial protein C receptor, antithrombin, and cell-free DNA have significant powers for distinguishing coronavirus disease 2019 from pneumonia patients. The predictors of ICU mortality differ between the two patient groups: soluble thrombomodulin and citrullinated histones for coronavirus disease 2019 patients, and protein C and cell-free DNA or fibrinogen for pneumonia patients. In both patient groups, the most recent biomarker values have stronger prognostic value than their ICU day 1 values. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:. Fibrinogen, soluble endothelial protein C receptor, antithrombin, and cell-free DNA have utility for distinguishing coronavirus disease 2019 patients from noncoronavirus disease septic patients with pneumonia. The most important predictors of ICU mortality are soluble thrombomodulin/citrullinated histones for coronavirus disease 2019 patients, and protein C/cell-free DNA for noncoronavirus disease pneumonia patients. This hypothesis-generating study suggests that the pathophysiology of immunothrombosis differs between the two patient groups.

Published in Critical Care Explorations

ISSN: 2639-8028 (Online)
Publisher: Wolters Kluwer
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid
Website: https://journals.lww.com/ccejournal/pages/default.aspx

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