New paper finds blood biomarkers show promise in identifying in ER patients with abdominal pain who may need surgery or hospitalization

More than 20% of emergency room visits in the U.S. are from patients presenting with abdominal pain, yet identifying the cause and severity of the illness remains a challenge for ER doctors. A new paper in Nature shows the promise of three previously identified mRNA blood biomarkers in predicting likely infection, surgery or hospitalization among ER patients with abdominal pain. The paper, “Diagnostic accuracy of novel mRNA blood biomarkers of infection to predict outcomes in emergency department patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain,” was published in Nature on Feb. 9, 2023.