Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitoring for Early Identification of Sepsis: The VISION II Study

Sepsis is frequently associated with hemostatic disturbances resulting from the close interaction between inflammation and coagulation. These alterations may occur early in the course of infection but may not be adequately detected by conventional coagulation tests. The Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM) is a point-of-care device that provides a rapid bedside assessment of whole-blood clot formation and may therefore support the early identification of patients progressing to sepsis.

In the previous single-center, prospective, proof-of-concept VISION study, VCM parameters were evaluated in adults presenting to the Emergency Department with suspected infection. Shorter clotting time (CT) remained independently associated with sepsis after adjustment for established clinical scores and laboratory biomarkers. Patients with sepsis also accumulated a greater number of out-of-range VCM measurements during follow-up. However, the diagnostic performance of CT was moderate, indicating the need for validation in a larger, multicenter cohort. Moreover, patients receiving anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy were excluded from the previous study, limiting the applicability of its findings to routine Emergency Department practice.

VISION II is a prospective, observational, multicenter study designed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of VCM parameters for the early identification of sepsis in approximately 400 adults presenting to the Emergency Department with suspected infection. Unlike the previous study, VISION II will include patients receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and will assess the potential effect of these treatments on VCM parameters and diagnostic performance.

VCM testing and clinical and laboratory assessments will be performed at enrollment and, for patients who remain hospitalized, at 24, 48, and 72 hours. Recorded assessments will include SOFA-2, qSOFA, NEWS2 scores, conventional coagulation parameters, inflammatory biomarkers, microbiological findings, administered antibiotic therapy, admission to the Intensive Care Unit, survival status, and major thromboembolic events.

The primary endpoint is the difference in VCM-derived parameters between patients who develop sepsis within the first 72 hours and those who do not. Sepsis will be defined according to the Sepsis-3 criteria. Sepsis status will be independently determined by two clinical adjudicators who will review the available clinical data from the 72-hour follow-up period while remaining blinded to the VCM results.

Adult patients presenting to the Emergency Department with suspected infection, as determined by the treating physician's clinical judgment and according to the predefined infection criteria specified in the study protocol.

Diagnostic Test: Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM) testing

Peripheral venous whole-blood samples will be collected for the assessment of eight parameters using the Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor (VCM): clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT), alpha angle, amplitude at 10 minutes (A10), amplitude at 20 minutes (A20), maximum clot firmness (MCF), lysis index at 30 minutes (LI30), and lysis index at 45 minutes (LI45). Assessments will be performed at enrollment and, for patients who remain hospitalized, at 24, 48, and 72 hours. VCM results will not influence the patient's treatment or any other aspect of standard clinical care, which will remain entirely at the discretion of the treating physicians.

Plazo: From enrollment through 72 hours

The eight VCM-derived parameters will be compared between patients who develop sepsis and those who do not. Sepsis will be defined according to the Sepsis-3 criteria as suspected or confirmed infection accompanied by an increase of ≥2 points in the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA)-2 score or more from baseline.

Plazo: From enrollment to 72 hours

Clotting time (CT), measured in seconds using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours

Clot formation time (CFT), measured in seconds using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared using the Mann-Whitney U test between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Alpha angle, measured in degrees using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Amplitude at 10 minutes (A10), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Maximum clot firmness (MCF), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Lysis index at 30 minutes (LI30), measured as a percentage using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Lysis index at 45 minutes (LI45), measured as a percentage using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Amplitude at 20 minutes (A20), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants receiving chronic anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy and participants receiving neither therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment

Number and proportion of enrolled patients receiving chronic anticoagulant therapy and those not receiving anticoagulant therapy.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Clotting time (CT), measured in seconds using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who develop a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not develop such an event within the first 72 hours after enrollment.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Clot formation time (CFT), measured in seconds using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who develop a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not develop such an event within the first 72 hours after enrollment.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Alpha angle, measured in degrees using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Amplitude at 10 minutes (A10), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Amplitude at 20 minutes (A20), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Lysis index at 30 minutes (LI30), measured as a percentage using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Lysis index at 45 minutes (LI45), measured as a percentage using the VCM, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours.

Maximum clot firmness (MCF), measured in VCM units, will be summarized as median and interquartile range and compared between participants who experience a major thromboembolic event and participants who do not.

Plazo: From enrollment to 72 hours

Number and proportion of patients receiving chronic anticoagulant therapy who develop sepsis, as defined by the Sepsis-3 criteria, during the study follow-up period.

Plazo: At enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours

The cumulative number of VCM parameters outside their predefined reference ranges will be determined at enrollment and at 24, 48, and 72 hours and compared between patients who develop sepsis and those who do not.

Plazo: At enrollment

Correlations between the eight VCM-derived parameters and measured inflammatory mediators and biomarkers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), tissue factor (CD142), procalcitonin (PCT), and C-reactive protein (CRP), will be assessed.

Plazo: At enrollment and, for hospitalized patients, at 24, 48, and 72 hours

Correlations between the eight VCM-derived parameters and conventional coagulation parameters, including international normalized ratio (INR), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, D-dimer levels, and platelet count, will be assessed.

Viscoelastic Coagulation Monitor as an Early Index of Sepsis in Patients Admitted With Infection at the Emergency Department: The VISION II Study