ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT01359891NOBISUpdated Sep 1, 2021

Clinical Evaluation of Novel Biomarkers in Patients With Septicemia

An observational study in Sepsis, Bacteremia and Fungemia, sponsored by Medical University of Graz. Completed at 1 site in Austria. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-09-01.

Sponsored by Medical University of Graz · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
750
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The protein ST2 is a member of the interleukin-1 receptor family. Blood concentrations of the soluble isoform of ST2 (sST2) are increased in inflammatory and heart diseases and are considered a prognostic marker in both. The Presage™ST2 assay was recently shown to meet the needs of quality specifications of laboratory medicine. Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) levels reflect inflammation and elevated suPAR levels are found in several infectious diseases and cancer. Both sST2 and suPAR have recently been introduced as sensitive biomarkers for patients with septicemia. Both may be promising or even superior alternatives to currently established sepsis markers leading to an improvement of outcome in patients with septicemia. However, a clinical study which clarifies kinetics of values over time/possible correlation with causative pathogen/progress/deterioration of septic patients is urgently needed before these biomarkers can be established in clinical routine.

Primary study objectives To clinically evaluate sST2 and suPAR in patients with bacteremia /septicemia. To correlate results with causative bacterial organisms, response to or failure of antiinfective treatment, severity of clinical status as well as outcome.

To study the kinetics of the test results and to correlate the sST2/suPAR results with other well established infection markers (e.g. C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, blood counts).

Natural endpoints of the study will be patient's death or complete recovery.

This is an explorative study. To meet the objectives both novel biomarkers will be clinically evaluated in a cohort of 500 in-patients with septicemia at the University Hospital Graz. Starting the day a patient's blood culture turned positive the investigators will collect samples every 12h within the first two days and then every 24h.Measurement of sST2 and suPAR values will be done retrospectively. To analyze clinical sensitivity/specificity of the novel biomarkers sST2 and suPAR as prognostic factors for development of bacteremia/septicemia, a second cohort consisting of 250 in-patients will be investigated in a longitudinal matter. Patients without a previous positive blood culture test during the current episode of disease for which blood cultures are ordered by a physician will be included and sST2 and suPAR levels will be determined from samples taken simultaneously with this first blood cultures.

Read the detailed description

The two most common causative pathogens of septicemia (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus) as well as cases of fungemia (Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., and others) will be included in the first study group. At our hospital the estimated yearly cases of bacteremia/fungemia (230 for Escherichia coli, 150 for Staphylococcus aureus, and 50 for fungi) will be included in the first study group. Furthermore, the two biomarkers will be determined in 70 cases of septicemia with other bacterial pathogens and sepsis due to viral pathogens or viremia for evaluation of further clinical impact of these two biomarkers.

02

Conditions studied

  • Sepsis
  • Bacteremia
  • Fungemia
03

In context

Sepsis

2,416 studies on the registry are indexed under Sepsis; 541 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 750 is above the median of 150 across 1,162 observational studies indexed under Sepsis.

Browse Sepsis studies →

Lead sponsor

Medical University of Graz is the lead sponsor of 471 studies on the registry; 98 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Patients >18years with suspected / proven bacteremia/septicaemia admitted to the medical university hospital Graz, Austria

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients above 18 years

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients \< 18 years
05

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrollment
750 participants (actual)
Biospecimen retention
Samples without dna

Groups and cohorts

  • Cohort 1

    All patients \>18 years admitted to the University Hospital Graz, Austria, with positive blood cultures tested in the Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University Graz, or the Institute for Hygiene, Microbiology and Environmental Medicine, Medical University Graz, are screened for study inclusion. Patients eligible for the study have to have Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae or medically relevant fungi / viral pathogens identified as causative pathogen. The estimated total number of patients included in this first study cohort will be 500.

  • Cohort 2

    All patients \>18 years admitted to the University Hospital Graz, Austria, will be screened for study inclusion if the attending emergency department physicians on the very first visit suspects bacteremia/fungemia/sepsis and consecutively orders blood cultures. Patients will be included in this second cohort if these initially taken blood culture turns positive (n=200) or stays negative (n=50) at the Microbiology Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University Graz. As soon as the number of 50 is reached for the control group enrollment will be stopped for this group. As soon as the proposed number of 250 patients is reached enrolment for this second cohort will be stopped. Patients enrolled in cohort 2 may also be consecutively enrolled in cohort 1.

  • Validation Cohort

    To verify the employed Presage™ST2 assay established in our study laboratory for its intended use, a total number of 70 left over plasma samples obtained from septic patients which have prior been tested for sST2 with the same assay at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Barmherzige Brueder Linz, Austria, will be retested. This cohort therefore serves as a validation cohort.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. prognostic value of biomarkers in bacteremia

    Time frame: 2 years

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Medical University Hospital of Graz
    Graz, Styria 8036, Austria
08

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Nov 2010, a primary completion of Aug 2021 and a completion of Aug 2021. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
May 23, 2011
First posted
May 25, 2011
Start
Nov 2010
Primary completionActual
Aug 2021
CompletionActual
Aug 2021
Last update
Sep 1, 2021
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 1, 2021, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT01359891
Responsible party
Robert Krause, MD (ao.Univ.Prof.Dr, Medical University of Graz) — Principal investigator
First posted
May 25, 2011
Start date
Nov 2010
Primary completion
Aug 2021
Completion
Aug 2021
Last update
Sep 1, 2021

Study contacts

Martin Hoenigl, MD
principal investigator · Medical University of Graz
Robert Krause, MD
principal investigator · Medical University of Graz
Reinhard R Raggam, MD
principal investigator · Medical University Hospital Graz

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is completed, as verified in Aug 2021. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

Follow this study

Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.

Sign in to follow

Discussion

Questions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.

Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.

Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.

Start the discussion