Procalcitonin levels in patients with positive blood culture, positive body fluid culture, sepsis, and severe sepsis: a cross-sectional study.
BACKGROUND
Numerous investigations on procalcitonin (PCT) have been carried out, although few with large sample size. To deal with the complexity of sepsis, an understanding of PCT in heterogeneous clinical conditions is required.


METHODS
Hospitalized patients aged 10-79 years were included in this retrospective and cross-sectional study. PCT tests were assayed within 2 days of blood culture.


RESULTS
A total of 2952 cases (from 2538 patients) were enrolled in this study, including 440 cases in the 'positive BC' group, 123 cases in the 'positive body fluid culture' group, and 2389 cases in the 'negative all culture' group. Median PCT values were 4.53 ng/ml, 2.95 ng/ml, and 0.49 ng/ml, respectively. Median PCT values in the gram-negative BC group and gram-positive BC group, respectively, were 6.99 ng/ml and 2.96 ng/ml. Median PCT values in the 'positive hydrothorax culture' group, 'positive ascites culture' group, 'positive bile culture' group, and 'positive cerebrospinal fluid culture' group, respectively, were 1.39 ng/ml, 8.32 ng/ml, 5.98 ng/ml, and 0.46 ng/ml. In all, 357 cases were classified into the 'sepsis' group, 150 of them were classified into the 'severe sepsis' group. Median PCT values were 5.63 ng/ml and 11.06 ng/ml, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
PCT could be used in clinical algorithms to diagnose positive infections and sepsis. Different PCT levels could be related to different kinds of microbemia, different infection sites, and differing severity of sepsis.
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Ying
Y
Yu
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Xia-Xi
XX
Li
b Department of Clinical Laboratory , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Ling-Xiao
LX
Jiang
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Meng
M
Du
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Zhan-Guo
ZG
Liu
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Zhong-Ran
ZR
Cen
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Hua
H
Wang
c Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Geriatric Infection and Organ Function Support, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Geriatric Infection and Organ Function Support, Department of Medical Intensive Care Unit , General Hospital of Guangzhou Military Command , Guangzhou , China.
Zhen-Hui
ZH
Guo
a Department of ICU , Southern Medical University, Zhujiang Hospital , Guangzhou , China.
Ping
P
Chang
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015415:Biomarkers; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000382:microbiology; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
Procalcitonin; blood culture; body fluid culture; sepsis; severe sepsis