Immune Failure in Critical Therapy (INFECT) Study

Patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) are at high risk of developing secondary infections, and this is in part due to dysfunction or failure of their 'germ killing' functions (the immune system). Our group has recently identified three signatures of immune system failure which can be readily detected on a blood sample, and importantly, appear to predict the chances of developing secondary infection. Such a test would have major benefits for the management of patients in intensive care if it can be translated into a test usable in everyday clinical practice. This study aims to validate our original findings in a cohort of patients from multiple ICUs, using a test which will be suitable for everyday clinical practice, and thus take the next step towards developing a market-ready test.

Study hypothesis: Measurement of neutrophil CD88, monocyte HLA-DR and percentage Tregs will accurately predict the risk of nosocomial infection.