Wang H, Gao YX, Wu YN, et al. - Researchers investigated if and how plasma adiponectin (APN) levels are associated with heart function and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients. In this prospective study, they assessed 98 patients with sepsis and 32 controls. Sepsis patients had significantly decreased plasma APN levels compared with controls; APN levels reduced with rising severity of illness and were positively linked with the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and stroke volume index. Observations revealed correlation of low APN levels with the incidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and 28-day mortality in sepsis patients; this correlation was observed independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors and other biomarkers. Adiponectin is thus suggested to have value as a novel factor that may aid in the diagnosis of LVSD.