Diagnostic efficacy and prognostic value of serum procalcitonin concentration in patients with suspected sepsis.
BACKGROUND
Procalcitonin is released in response to bacterial infection and it is not released in Inflammatory and viral diseases.


OBJECTIVE
To show the diagnostic efficacy and prognostic value of procalcitonin for sepsis.


METHODS
A consecutive series of 103 patients with suspected sepsis were admitted to the intensive care unit over a 2-year period. During the first 24 hours of the admission procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, and complement proteins were determined. The diagnostic efficacy was tested with predictive values, likelihood ratios, receiver operating characteristic curves, and multiple logistic regression. The association of procalcitonin with mortality was assessed by the Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
Procalcitonin had a better positive likelihood ratio than C-reactive protein -2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.3-3.7) versus 1.1 (95% confidence interval: 0.9-1.2). Sequential Organ Failure Assessment yielded the highest discriminative value, with an area under the curve of 0.82 (95% confidence interval: 0.73-0.92), followed by procalcitonin (0.81; 95% confidence interval: 0.72-0.89). Multivariate regression analysis showed procalcitonin (adjusted odds ratio: 3.8; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-11.8) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (adjusted odds ratio: 5.3; 95% confidence interval: 1.4-19.9) as the only variables independently associated with infection. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that procalcitonin was not independently associated with mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
The diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin was higher than C-reactive protein and complement proteins. Procalcitonin in combination with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment was useful to diagnose infection. C-reactive protein, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, age, and gender showed to be helpful to improve the prediction of mortality risk, but not procalcitonin.
Ruiz-Alvarez
M J
MJ
Laboratorio de Analisis Clínicos, Intensivos Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. mjruizal@yahoo.es
García-Valdecasas
S
S
De Pablo
R
R
Sanchez García
M
M
Coca
C
C
Groeneveld
T W
TW
Roos
A
A
Daha
M R
MR
Arribas
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003422:Critical Care; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide