title: Procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker of ventilator-associated pneumonia in cardiac surgery patients.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to assess whether procalcitonin (PCT) can be used as a diagnostic marker for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in cardiac surgery patients. Between January 2012 and June 2013, a total of 92 patients were recruited and divided into non-VAP (59 patients) and VAP (33 patients) groups. The preoperative and postoperative characteristics of the patients were recorded. Serum levels of PCT, interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Subsequently, receiver operating characteristic curves of the PCT, IL-6 and CRP levels were constructed. In addition, associations between the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) scores and the serum levels of PCT, IL-6 and CRP in the VAP patients were analyzed. No statistically significant difference was observed between the non-VAP and VAP patients in the occurrence of postoperative complications. However, the SOFA scores (days 1 and 7), the duration of stay in the intensive care unit and the mechanical ventilation time were all significantly higher in the VAP group when compared with the non-VAP group (P<0.05). The optimum PCT cut-off value for VAP diagnosis on day 1 was 5.0 ng/ml, with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 71%. The serum PCT levels on days 1 and 7 were found to correlate positively with the SOFA scores (r=0.54 and r=0.66 for days 1 and 7, respectively). Therefore, the results suggested that serum PCT may be used as diagnostic marker for VAP in patients following cardiac surgery.
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China ; Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: Jiao
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China.
authors: Min
authors: M
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China.
authors: Jianfeng
authors: J
authors: Zhang
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China.
authors: Kangjun
authors: K
authors: Shen
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China.
authors: Xiaobo
authors: X
authors: Liao
authors: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, P.R. China.
authors: Xinmin
authors: X
authors: Zhou
keywords: cardiac surgery; diagnostic marker; procalcitonin; ventilator-associated pneumonia