Detection of Sepsis Occurrence by Using Blood Fluorescence

Currently, clinical practice lacks an effective screening method for early detection and prediction of sepsis. This gap hinders timely differential diagnosis, leading to severe shock and increased mortality rates. Although the qSOFA score is highly specific, it is not devoid of false negatives. Typically, by the time sepsis is confirmed using the qSOFA (≥ 2) and SOFA (≥ 2) scores as gold standards, the patient may already be suffering from organ damage, thus escalating the risk of death. Early-stage septic patients exhibit a surge in inflammatory free radicals, altering the optical characteristics of their blood compared to that of healthy individuals. Based on this, we hypothesize that a blood fluorometer could detect these early changes in septic patients, enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis to mitigate mortality rates. This study will conduct a case-control investigation, collecting blood from both admitted and discharged patients, with the aim of developing a reagent-free, highly sensitive blood fluorescence metabolite analyzer. This device will be capable of frequent sepsis screenings, detecting inflammatory free radicals before organ damage occurs, thereby reducing the time to sepsis diagnosis.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy control group: Individuals who are physically healthy with no underlying diseases and have not been hospitalized within the past two years. Recruitment for healthy volunteers will be conducted through notices and online media.
• Sepsis Experimental Group: Patients with confirmed infections, having qSOFA ≥ 2 and SOFA ≥ 2, will be screened and confirmed by a physician to meet the inclusion criteria.
• Non-septic Severe Control Group: Patients with suspected or confirmed infections, having a SOFA score of 1, will be screened and confirmed by a physician to meet the inclusion criteria.

Exclusion criteria

minors, pregnant, individuals with mental illnesses, and other vulnerable groups.