Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Aug 21;25(1):298.
doi: 10.1007/s10238-025-01842-5.

From cardiac injury to omics signatures: a narrative review on biomarkers in septic cardiomyopathy

Matteo Guarino  1   2 , Francesco Luppi  1 , Giacomo Maroncelli  1 , Paolo Baldin  1 , Anna Costanzini  1 , Martina Maritati  3 , Carlo Contini  3 , Biagio Sassone  4 , Roberto De Giorgio  5 , Michele Domenico Spampinato  1   2
Affiliations
Review

From cardiac injury to omics signatures: a narrative review on biomarkers in septic cardiomyopathy

Matteo Guarino et al. Clin Exp Med. .

Abstract

Background: Septic cardiomyopathy (SCM) is a frequent and underdiagnosed complication of sepsis that contributes significantly to patient morbidity and mortality. Its pathophysiology involves myocardial inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and microcirculatory abnormalities. Despite growing recognition, the diagnostic approach to SCM remains inconsistent, and validated biomarkers are lacking.

Methods: This narrative review explores the current landscape of SCM biomarkers. PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched from inception to June 2025.

Results: Traditional biomarkers are useful, but nonspecific in the septic context. Emerging biomarkers offer promising diagnostic and prognostic information, particularly in combination. Multi-omics strategies revealed transcriptomic and proteomic profiles to be potentially specific for SCM and may facilitate early detection and risk stratification. However, limitations remain in terms of standardization, assay reproducibility, and clinical translation. Composite biomarker panels and longitudinal monitoring appear to be more informative than single-point measurements.

Conclusions: SCM remains a diagnostic challenge, although biomarker research is rapidly evolving. Integrating traditional and emerging biomarkers, supported by multi-omics and computational tools, may enable a shift toward precision medicine in sepsis-related cardiac dysfunction. Future efforts should focus on consensus definitions, validation in prospective cohorts, and biomarker-guided interventions to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Multi-omics; Precision medicine; Sepsis; Septic cardiomyopathy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: This research does not directly involve patients; hence, ethical approval was deemed unnecessary.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mechanistic pathways contributing to septic cardiomyopathy and associated biomarkers. Traditional, emerging, and multi-omics-derived biomarkers are linked to distinct pathophysiological processes, supporting a precision medicine approach
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Chiu C, Legrand M. Epidemiology of sepsis and septic shock. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol. 2021;34(2):71–6. - PubMed
    1. Singer M, Deutschman CS, Seymour CW, Shankar-Hari M, Annane D, Bauer M, Bellomo R, Bernard GR, Chiche JD, Coopersmith CM, Hotchkiss RS, Levy MM, Marshall JC, Martin GS, Opal SM, Rubenfeld GD, van der Poll T, Vincent JL, Angus DC. The third international consensus definitions for sepsis and septic shock (Sepsis-3). JAMA. 2016;315(8):801–10. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Evans L, Rhodes A, Alhazzani W, Antonelli M, Coopersmith CM, French C, Machado FR, Mcintyre L, Ostermann M, Prescott HC, Schorr C, Simpson S, Wiersinga WJ, Alshamsi F, Angus DC, Arabi Y, Azevedo L, Beale R, Beilman G, Belley-Cote E, Burry L, Cecconi M, Centofanti J, Coz Yataco A, De Waele J, Dellinger RP, Doi K, Du B, Estenssoro E, Ferrer R, Gomersall C, Hodgson C, Møller MH, Iwashyna T, Jacob S, Kleinpell R, Klompas M, Koh Y, Kumar A, Kwizera A, Lobo S, Masur H, McGloughlin S, Mehta S, Mehta Y, Mer M, Nunnally M, Oczkowski S, Osborn T, Papathanassoglou E, Perner A, Puskarich M, Roberts J, Schweickert W, Seckel M, Sevransky J, Sprung CL, Welte T, Zimmerman J, Levy M. Surviving sepsis campaign: international guidelines for management of sepsis and septic shock 2021. Intensive Care Med. 2021;47(11):1181–247. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Chiscano-Camón L, Ruiz-Sanmartin A, Bajaña I, Bastidas J, Lopez-Martinez R, Franco-Jarava C, Gonzalez JJ, Larrosa N, Riera J, Nuvials-Casals X, Ruiz-Rodríguez JC, Ferrer R. Current perspectives in the management of sepsis and septic shock. Front Med. 2024;15(11):1431791. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ramasco F, Aguilar G, Aldecoa C, Bakker J, Carmona P, Dominguez D, Galiana M, Hernández G, Kattan E, Olea C, Ospina-Tascón G, Pérez A, Ramos K, Ramos S, Tamayo G, Tuero G, ANDROMEDA-SHOCK-2, Spanish Investigators, Sociedad Española de Anestesiología, Reanimación y Terapéutica del Dolor (SEDAR). Towards the personalization of septic shock resuscitation: the fundamentals of ANDROMEDA-SHOCK-2 trial. Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim. 2024;71(2):112–24. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources