Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25419180›Full record

Trial reportBMC anesthesiology2014

Pre-analytic factors and initial biomarker levels in community-acquired pneumonia patients.

Alexander Kutz, Eva Grolimund, Mirjam Christ-Crain, Robert Thomann, Claudine Falconnier, Claus Hoess, Christoph Henzen, Werner Zimmerli, Beat Mueller, Philipp Schuetz and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC anesthesiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 24 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Alexander KutzUniversity Department of Medicine, Tellstrasse, CH-5001 Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland.
Eva GrolimundUniversity Department of Medicine, Tellstrasse, CH-5001 Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland.
Mirjam Christ-CrainDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Clinical Nutrition, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Robert ThomannDepartment of Internal Medicine, Bürgerspital Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland.
Claudine FalconnierBasel University Medical Clinic Liestal, Liestal, Switzerland.
Claus HoessDepartment of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital Münsterlingen, Münsterlingen, Switzerland.
Christoph HenzenDepartment of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Werner ZimmerliBasel University Medical Clinic Liestal, Liestal, Switzerland.
Beat MuellerUniversity Department of Medicine, Tellstrasse, CH-5001 Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland.
Philipp SchuetzUniversity Department of Medicine, Tellstrasse, CH-5001 Kantonsspital Aarau, Switzerland.
ProHOSP Study Group
Kantonsspital Aarau · CHPsychiatry Baselland · CHKantonsspital Münsterlingen · CHLuzerner Kantonsspital · CHSolothurner Spitäler · CHUniversity Hospital of Basel · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBlood biomarkers are increasingly used to diagnose, guide therapy in, and risk-stratify community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) patients in emergency departments (EDs). How pre-analytic factors affect these markers' initial levels in this population is unknown.

methodsIn this secondary analysis of consecutive ED patients with CAP from a large multicentre antibiotic stewardship trial, we used adjusted multivariate regression models to determine the magnitude and statistical significance of differences in mean baseline concentrations of five biomarkers (procalcitonin [PCT], C-reactive protein [CRP], white blood cells count [WBC], proadrenomedullin [ProADM], copeptin) associated with six pre-analytic factors (antibiotic or corticosteroid pretreatment, age, gender, chronic renal failure or chronic liver insufficiency).

resultsOf 925 CAP patients (median age 73 years, 58.8% male), 25.5% had antibiotic pretreatment, 2.4%, corticosteroid pretreatment, 22.3%, chronic renal failure, 2.4% chronic liver insufficiency. Differences associated with pre-analytic factors averaged 6.1% ± 4.6%; the three largest statistically significant changes (95% confidence interval) were: PCT, +14.2% (+2.1% to +26.4%, p = 0.02) with liver insufficiency; ProADM, +13.2% (+10.2% to +16.1%, p < 0.01) with age above median; CRP, -12.8% (-25.4% to -0.2%, p = 0.05) with steroid pretreatment. In post hoc sensitivity analyses, reclassification statistics showed that these factors did not result in significant changes of biomarker levels across clinically used cut-off ranges.

conclusionsDespite statistically significant associations of some pre-analytic factors and biomarker levels, a clinically relevant influence seems unlikely. Our observations reinforce the concept of using biomarkers in algorithms with widely-separated cut-offs and overruling criteria considering the entire clinical picture.

trial registrationIdentifier ISRCTN95122877.

Indexed as

AgedAged, 80 and overAlgorithmsAnti-Bacterial AgentsBiomarkersCommunity-Acquired InfectionsEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleGlucocorticoidsHumansMaleMiddle AgedMultivariate AnalysisPneumoniaProspective StudiesRegression AnalysisAnti-Bacterial AgentsBiomarkersGlucocorticoidsBlood biomarkersCommunity-acquired pneumoniaCopeptinC-reactive proteinPre-analytic factorsPretreatmentProadrenomedullinProcalcitoninWhite blood cells count

Identifiers

PMID25419180
PMCPMC4240803
OpenAlexW2053703809

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.