Plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a biomarker for acute kidney injury in critically ill patients with suspected sepsis.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic utility of plasma neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as an early objective biomarker to predict acute kidney injury (AKI) in critically ill patients with suspected sepsis, for whom procalcitonin (PCT) was used for the diagnosis and staging of sepsis.
Design and Methods: Plasma NGAL was measured using the Triage NGAL Test (Alere, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) in 231 samples obtained from patients with suspected sepsis. The results of NGAL were compared with those of Elecsys BRAHMS PCT (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland). Renal failure was assessed using the renal subscore of Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. AKI was defined according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria.
Results: The concentrations of plasma NGAL were significantly different according to the five groups of PCT concentration (P<0.0001) and the renal subscore of SOFA score (P<0.0001). Plasma NGAL was significantly increased in the patients with AKI compared with those without AKI (416.5 ng/mL vs. 181.0 ng/mL, P=0.0223).
Conclusion: Plasma NGAL seems to be a highly sensitive and objective predictor of AKI in patients with sepsis. Plasma NGAL can be added for the diagnosis and staging of renal failure in sepsis.
(Copyright © 2013 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)