ArticleBMC infectious diseases2009
Procalcitonin levels and bacterial aetiology among COPD patients admitted to the ICU with severe pneumonia: a prospective cohort study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Diagnostic value of procalcitonin for identifying the etiology of lower respiratory tract infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Procalcitonin algorithm to guide initial antibiotic therapy in acute exacerbations of COPD admitted to the ICU: a randomized multicenter study.Intensive care medicine · 2018Trial
- Effects of nursing team communication and collaboration on treatment outcomes in intensive care unit patients with severe pneumonia.World journal of clinical cases · 2024Article
- Ability of procalcitonin to distinguish between bacterial and nonbacterial infection in severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary syndrome in the ICU.Annals of intensive care · 2021Article
- The Use of Serum Procalcitonin as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations: A Literature Review Update.Journal of clinical medicine research · 2018Review
- Evaluation and significance of C-reactive protein in the clinical diagnosis of severe pneumonia.Experimental and therapeutic medicine · 2015Article
- PCT as a Prognostic Marker in Cardiac Patients with Neutropenic Sepsis: Two Case Reports.Indian journal of clinical biochemistry : IJCB · 2014Article
- A novel marker procalcitonin may help stem the antibiotic overuse in emergency setting.International journal of applied & basic medical research · 2013Article
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSerum procalcitonin (PCT) is considered useful in predicting the likeliness of developing bacterial infections in emergency setting. In this study, we describe PCT levels overtime and their relationship with bacterial infection in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) critically ill patients with pneumonia.
methodsWe conducted a prospective cohort study in an ICU of a University Hospital. All consecutive COPD patients admitted for pneumonia between September 2005 and September 2006 were included. Respiratory samples were tested for the presence of bacteria and viruses. Procalcitonin was sequentially assessed and patients classified according to the probability of the presence of a bacterial infection.
resultsThirty four patients were included. The PCT levels were assessed in 32/34 patients, median values were: 0.493 microg/L [IQR, 0.131 to 1.471] at the time of admission, 0.724 microg/L [IQR, 0.167 to 2.646] at six hours, and 0.557 microg/L [IQR, 0.123 to 3.4] at 24 hours. The highest PCT (PCTmax) levels were less than 0.1 microg/L in 3/32 (9%) patients and greater than 0.25 microg/L in 22/32 (69%) patients, suggesting low and high probability of bacterial infection, respectively. Fifteen bacteria and five viruses were detected in 15/34 (44%) patients. Bacteria were not detected in patients with PCTmax levels < 0.1 microg/L. In contrast, bacteria were detected in 4/7 (57%) patients estimated unlikely to have a bacterial infection by PCT levels (PCTmax > 0.1 and < 0.25 microg/L).
conclusionBased on these results we suggest that a PCT level cut off > 0.1 microg/L may be more appropriate than 0.25 microg/L (previously proposed for non severe lower respiratory tract infection) to predict the probability of a bacterial infection in severe COPD patients with pneumonia. Further studies testing procalcitonin-based antibiotic strategies are needed in COPD patients with severe pneumonia.
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