Procalcitonin as a prognostic indicator in sepsis

From BMC Research Notes:

Background

Procalcitonin is useful for the diagnosis of sepsis but its prognostic value regarding mortality is unclear. This prospective observational study was designed to study the prognostic value of procalcitonin in prediction of 28 day mortality in patients of sepsis. Fifty-four consecutive patients of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock defined using the 2001 Consensus Conference SCCM/ESICM/ACCP/ATS/SIS criteria from medical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a tertiary care center in New Delhi, India were enrolled from July 2011 to June 2013. Procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP) measurements were recorded on day 1, day 7 and day 28 of follow up.

Results

Procalcitonin value was a better predictor of all-cause short-term mortality than C-reactive protein. Those patients with Procalcitonin levels less than 7 ng/ml showed higher cumulative survival than those with level [greater than or equal to]7 ng/ml (69.1% vs. 39.5%, p = 0.02). No such effect was observed in relation to C-reactive protein. Procalcitonin levels [greater than or equal to]7 ng/ml predicted mortality with a hazard ratio of 2.6(1.1-6.3).

Conclusions

A Procalcitonin value [greater than or equal to]7 ng/ml obtained at the time of admission to the ICU is a predictor of short-term mortality and thus may allow the identification of those septic patients at increased mortality risk, and help improve their treatment.

Median procalcitonin levels for survivors and non survivors are presented here.

Also of note from the study:

Procalcitonin levels were also significantly higher in patients with septic shock as compared to that with severe sepsis (34.6 ± 36.7 vs. 15.0 ± 29.9 ng/mL; p = 0.03) and sepsis (34.6 ± 36.7 vs. 3.8 ± 1.6 ng/mL; p = 0.008) (Figure 3).

Via Hospital Medicine Virtual Journal Club.