Clinical Evaluation of Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction in Combination With Transcriptome Analysis in Early Warning of Sepsis in the Emergency Department: A Multicenter Prospective Observational Study

Rapid identification of pathogens and early warning of host response are key to improve the prognosis of sepsis. Establishing a comprehensive identification system based on pathogen identification and host immune status is an effective way to achieve early warning stratification of patients with infections in the emergency department. Therefore, based on our preliminary single-center study, this prospective multicenter clinical study will combine droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and transcriptomic molecular target assay for validation in patients with suspected sepsis in the emergency department. The purpose is to (1) compare the efficacy of ddPCR with blood culture for early diagnosis and prognosis; (2) assess the diagnostic value of transcriptomic molecular targets based on 29 messenger RNA for the presence or absence of infection as well as infectious agents, and to evaluate their efficacy for prognosis; and (3) assess the diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring value of ddPCR combined with transcriptome analysis methods. In a word, this study will be undertaken to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring value of early warning models for sepsis in emergency department and to promote them to improve the identification ability of emergency infections.