Plasma soluble suppression of tumorigenesis 2 measured in the emergency department for diagnosis and outcome prediction of sepsis: A single-center prospective study

[Display omitted] •sST2 is the decoy receptor for IL-33. Its concentration increases during sepsis.•sST2 had a lower AUC (0.76) than PCT but reclassified PCT-negative patients (NRI 29 %).•The best cut-off for sST2 was 61.7 ng/mL, with a sensitivity of 79.9 % and a specificity of 70.6 %.•sST2 was an independent predictor of 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality. The diagnostic and prognostic performance of soluble Suppression of Tumorigenicity 2 (sST2) in suspected septic patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) is largely unknown. Patients were included in this prospective study if there was high suspicion of sepsis. The plasma level of sST2 was measured during initial ED evaluation. Outcomes were the evaluation of (1) sST2 diagnostic performance (alone and in combination with procalcitonin [PCT]), and (2) sST2 ability to predict 30-day and 90-day all-cause mortality. Among 569 patients included, 481 (84.5 %) had sepsis or septic shock. Plasma sST2 levels were more elevated in septic patients (159 [71–331] vs 50 [31–103] ng/mL, P