Objective: To investigate the association between derangement of the serum iron profile and in-hospital mortality of adult patients diagnosed with sepsis using Sepsis-3 criteria, and to assess its potential role in improving diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. Methods: This prospective observational study (May 2023-October 2024) was conducted in the emergency and medical ward. Serum iron profile and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores were assessed on admission. Clinical outcomes were tracked; associations with serum iron profile were determined using Student's t-test and chi-square test. Results: One hundred fifty adult Sepsis-3 patients were recruited. 58 Patients (38.7%) died during hospitalization. Mean ferritin for deceased patients was 929.0±310.0 μ g/L, and was significantly higher than 417.0±311.0 μ g/L for survivors ( P <.001). A serum ferritin value of 700 μ g/L strongly predicted in-hospital mortality (69.9% mortality above this threshold). The odds ratio was 23.2 (95% CI : 9.2-58.3) for ferritin above 700 μ g/L, indicating likelihood of death 23.2 times higher in patients with serum ferritin above 700 μ g/L. With SOFA, the odds ratio was 3.7, highlighting ferritin as a stronger individual predictor. Conclusions: Serum ferritin level is an independent predictor of inhospital mortality in sepsis. Monitoring ferritin levels can enhance early risk stratification, facilitate timely intervention, and improve outcomes.
Naik et al. (Fri,) studied this question.