SynthesisBMC emergency medicine2025
Diagnostic performance of procalcitonin and presepsin in sepsis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC emergency medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Prediction Score Versus Procalcitonin and Presepsin for Predicting Bacteremia in the Emergency Department: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Presepsin as a Novel Biomarker in Abdominal Sepsis: Diagnostic Accuracy and Prognostic Implications.Biomedicines · 2026Review
- The Role and Importance of Procalcitonin (PCT) Testing in Rational Antibiotic Prescribing and Antibiotic Stewardship Programs.Immunity, inflammation and disease · 2026Review
- Serial lactate-procalcitonin interaction identifies a high-risk phenotype in 24-h conditional survivors of post-cardiac arrest syndrome: a CART-based analysis.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Bridging sepsis physiology and biosensor engineering: a clinical perspective on electrochemical cytokine sensor design.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSepsis is a critical emergency condition characterized by life-threatening organ dysfunction due to a dysregulated response to infection. In the fast-paced emergency department (ED) setting, rapid identification and prompt initiation of treatment within the initial hours following sepsis onset are critical for reducing mortality and improving patient outcomes. However, a timely and accurate diagnosis remains a significant challenge in emergency medicine. Biomarkers such as procalcitonin (PCT) and presepsin (P-SEP) have been proposed as tools to distinguish sepsis from other non-infectious inflammatory conditions frequently encountered in the ED, though their diagnostic effectiveness remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of PCT and P-SEP for diagnosis patients with sepsis.
methodsA comprehensive systematic search was conducted across the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and Scopus databases up to April 1st, 2024 and updated on June 30th, 2025. Studies reporting sensitivity and specificity of PCT and P-SEP for sepsis detection among patients in acute and emergency settings were included. Hierarchical modeling techniques were utilized to pool data for sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) along with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
resultsThirty-eight observational studies met inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivities and specificities for detecting sepsis using PCT were 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81) and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.71-0.82), respectively. Similarly, for P-SEP, pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.82 (95% CI: 0.77-0.86) and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.73-0.83), respectively. No statistically significant differences were identified between PCT and P-SEP regarding sensitivity (p = 0.169) or specificity (p = 0.792). The summary receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded an AUROC of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81-0.87) for PCT and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84-0.90) for P-SEP.
conclusionsBoth PCT and P-SEP represent reliable biomarkers for early and accurate sepsis detection in acute and ED settings, demonstrating comparable diagnostic performance. Their integration into routine ED assessment protocols may support timely clinical decision-making and prompt initiation of appropriate treatment strategies.
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