title: Clinical Usefulness of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein as Outcome Predictors in Critically Ill Patients with Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock.
abstract: Sepsis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in critically ill patients. Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) are the most frequently used biomarkers in sepsis. We investigated changes in PCT and CRP concentrations in critically ill patients with sepsis to determine which biochemical marker better predicts outcome. We retrospectively analyzed 171 episodes in 157 patients with severe sepsis and septic shock who were admitted to the Samsung Medical Center intensive care unit from March 2013 to February 2014. The primary endpoint was patient outcome within 7 days from ICU admission (treatment failure). The secondary endpoint was 28-day mortality. Severe sepsis was observed in 42 (25%) episodes from 41 patients, and septic shock was observed in 129 (75%) episodes from 120 patients. Fifty-five (32%) episodes from 42 patients had clinically-documented infection, and 116 (68%) episodes from 99 patients had microbiologically-documented infection. Initial peak PCT and CRP levels were not associated with treatment failure and 28-day mortality. However, PCT clearance (PCTc) and CRP (CRPc) clearance were significantly associated with treatment failure (p = 0.027 and p = 0.030, respectively) and marginally significant with 28-day mortality (p = 0.064 and p = 0.062, respectively). The AUC for prediction of treatment success was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.82) for PCTc and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.61-0.81) for CRPc. The AUC for survival prediction was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.66-0.88) for PCTc and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.67-0.88) for CRPc. Changes in PCT and CRP concentrations were associated with outcomes of critically ill septic patients. CRP may not be inferior to PCT in predicting outcome in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong-Am
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ryu
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Daesang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chi-Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Gee Young
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeongman
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joongbum
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Baek
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
authors.forename: Keumhee C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Carriere
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chi Ryang
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D002116:Calcitonin / Q000097:blood*; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; D016638:Critical Illness; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: C000606589:CALCA protein, human; D011498:Protein Precursors; D002116:Calcitonin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide