Plasma endostatin at intensive care admission is independently associated with acute kidney injury, dialysis, and mortality in COVID-19.

Background: Critical COVID-19 is associated with high mortality, and acute kidney injury (AKI) is common. Endostatin has emerged as a promising prognostic biomarker for predicting AKI and mortality in intensive care. This study aimed to investigate plasma endostatin at intensive care unit (ICU) admission as a biomarker for AKI, renal replacement therapy (RRT), and 90-day mortality in COVID-19.

Methods: A pre-planned retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected cohort of admissions with a primary SARS-CoV-2 infection to six ICUs in southern Sweden between May 2020 and May 2021 was undertaken. Endostatin at ICU admission was evaluated with multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, C-reactive protein, and creatinine. Net reclassification index analyses were also performed.

Results: Four hundred eighty-four patients were included. Endostatin showed a non-linear association with AKI, RRT, and 90-day mortality. Endostatin levels of 100-200 ng/mL were associated with AKI on ICU day 1 (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.5-18, p = 0.0097), RRT during the ICU stay (OR 3.5, 95% CI 1.1-12, p = 0.039), and 90-day mortality (OR 4.2, 95% CI 1.6-11, p = 0.0037). Adding endostatin to creatinine improved prediction of AKI on ICU day 1, while adding it to a model containing age, sex, CRP, and creatinine improved prediction of both AKI on ICU day 1 and 90-day mortality, but not RRT.

Conclusions: Endostatin at ICU admission was independently associated with AKI, RRT, and 90-day mortality in ICU patients with COVID-19. In addition, endostatin improved the prediction of AKI and 90-day mortality, highlighting its potential as a biomarker for early risk stratification in intensive care.