Role of STREM-1 for early prediction of ventilator-associated pneumonia in pediatrics

Background TREM-1 (setting off receptor imparted on myeloid cells-1) is an immunoreceptor. Neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and endothelial cells all express TREM-1. This work aimed to evaluate the role of STREM-1 in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) early prediction in pediatrics. Methods This case-control research involved 56 children aged from 1 month to 5 years old, who were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and needed mechanical ventilation (MV), from January 2023 to June 2023. Subjects were equally allocated into two groups: VAP group and non-VAP group. Results There was significantly elevated serum STREM-1 after 72 h than at admission between both groups. There was significantly elevated STREM-1, procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) after 72 h in the VAP group compared to the non-VAP group. There was a positive correlation between PCT and CRP after 72 h. STREM-1 at admission and after 72 h area under the curve (AUC) was 0.641 (0.502 to 0.765), 1.000 (0.936 to 1.000), with best cut-off value for prediction of VAP was > 185, > 230 with sensitivity 53.6%, 100% and specificity 67.9%, 100%, respectively. Conclusion Serum sTREM-1 concentration is a reliable biomarker for predicting VAP in pediatrics received MV.