Role of Procalcitonin in the Management of Infected Patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Publication Title
Infectious disease clinics of North America
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-1-2017
Keywords
Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antimicrobial Stewardship; Biomarkers; Calcitonin; Community-Acquired Infections; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Molecular Diagnostic Techniques; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Sepsis; Shock, Septic
Abstract
The combination of molecular pathogen diagnostics and the biomarker procalcitonin (PCT) are changing the use of antimicrobials in patients admitted to critical care units with severe community-acquired pneumonia, possible septic shock, or other clinical syndromes. An elevated serum PCT level is good supportive evidence of a bacterial pneumonia, whereas a low serum PCT level virtually eliminates an etiologic role for bacteria even if the culture for a potential bacterial pathogen is positive. Serum PCT levels can be increased in any shocklike state; a low PCT level eliminates invasive bacterial infection as an etiology in more than 90% of patients.
Specialty/Research Institute
Critical Care Medicine
Specialty/Research Institute
Infectious Diseases
