Role of angiotensin-converting enzyme as prognostic marker in thoracic trauma: A prospective observational study.

Abstract

Chest injuries, accounting for 25% of all trauma-related deaths, are one of the main causes of death in young adults. Our priority is the early identification of life-threatening injuries both immediate and delayed. The role of various biomarkers, such as Clara cell protein 16, von Willebrand factor, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor, and angiopoietin, has been studied in trauma-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels have been studied in non-trauma-related ARDS. The aim of this prospective observational study was to evaluate the role of ACE levels as a prognostic marker in thoracic trauma. A prospective observational study was conducted to evaluate serum ACE levels in thoracic trauma patients and to explore its prognostic potential with regard to clinical outcome. A total of 48 thoracic trauma patients were included in the study. The mean ACE level in the study population was 66.54+-11.18. A strong positive correlation was found among serum ACE levels and Thoracic Trauma Severity Score (TTSS). Our study demonstrates that serum ACE levels are increased in thoracic trauma patients with higher levels, indicating the severe nature of trauma in concordance with increased TTSS scores.