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Role of Procalcitonin in the Management of Infected Patients in the Intensive Care Unit.
Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2017 Sep;31(3):435-453
Authors: Gilbert DN
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.
PMID: 28779830 [PubMed - in process]