A Retrospective Single-Center Analysis from Southern Italy on the Use of T2 Magnetic Resonance Assays as a Point-of-Care Method for Patients with Sepsis.

Background

The rapid and accurate identification of the pathogens responsible for sepsis is essential for prompt and effective antimicrobial therapy. The T2Bacteria® Panel (T2B) and T2Candida® Panel (T2C) are rapid molecular tests performed on whole blood that exploit T2 Magnetic Resonance (T2MRsup®) technology.

Objectives

This study evaluates the impact of the T2MR system as a point-of-care device for managing sepsis and septic shock patients.

Methods

This single-center retrospective study was conducted at the Sant' Elia Hospital of Caltanissetta from 1 January 2023 to 31 July 2023. The study population was composed of patients with suspected sepsis and septic shock according to the Sepsis-3 criteria and for whom concurrent T2MR and BC samples were requested for diagnosis.

Results

A total of 81 consecutive patients were enrolled in this study. Concordant T2/BC results were obtained in 69/81 (85.2%) patients; 58/81 (71.6%) were concordant-negative and 11/81 (13.6%) were concordant-positive. Discordant T2MR+/BC- results were observed in 9/81 patients (11.1%), while T2MR-/BC+ results were detected in 3/81 patients (3.7%). Furthermore, the median time for reporting positive T2MR test results (5.2 h) was significantly shorter than that for BC (122 h).

Conclusions

Due to its high reliability, faster detection time, and simple workflow, T2MR in combination with BC improved the etiological diagnosis of sepsis in the enrolled patients.