Background
Pharmacogenetics could represent a further resource to understand the interindividual heterogeneity of response of the host to the insult and to medications and to provide a personalized approach to the critical care patient. Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the prospective observational study NCT02750163. The expression of two polymorphisms of hepatic metabolism of acetaminophen (ACT) was investigated in 50 adult septic and septic shock patients treated with ACT for pyrexia. Results: 8% of the patients expressed rs776746 polymorphism and showed significantly higher plasma levels of ACT and a more evident (but not statistically significant) defervescence than wild type patients, and patients with rs8330p. Discussion: Identifying specific genotypes of response to ACT may be helpful to guide a more personalized titration of therapy in sepsis and septic shock. Further studies are needed to understand the role of pharmacogenetics in sepsis.