Procalcitonin
Background
Serum biomarker that may help distinguish between bacterial infection and other causes of infection or inflammation.
Use
Differentiate lower respiratory inflammation/infection into bacterial vs. other etiology, and help clinicians choose if antibiotics are appropriate.
Evidence
- In patients with lower respiratory tract infections, procalcitonin guided antibiotic stewardship didn't result in worse outcomes, but did reduce antibiotic exposure and their associated effects [1]
- Procalcitonin-guided approach to inform antibiotic therapy didn't result in decreased antibiotic use compared to usual care [2]
See Also
External Links
References
- ↑ Schuetz, P., Christ-Crain, M., Thomann, R., Falconnier, C., Wolbers, M., Widmer, I., … ProHOSP Study Group. (2009). Effect of procalcitonin-based guidelines vs standard guidelines on antibiotic use in lower respiratory tract infections: the ProHOSP randomized controlled trial. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 302(10), 1059–1066.
- ↑ Huang, D. T., Yealy, D. M., Filbin, M. R., Brown, A. M., Chang, C.-C. H., Doi, Y., … ProACT Investigators. (2018). Procalcitonin-Guided Use of Antibiotics for Lower Respiratory Tract Infection. The New England Journal of Medicine, 379(3), 236–249.