The utility of procalcitonin as a biomarker of hospital-acquired infection in severe COVID-19

<b>What the study adds.</b> During an episode of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) in patients with severe COVID-19, procalcitonin (PCT) levels >1.00 μg/L had a moderate positive predictive value (PPV) of 52%, whereas levels <0.26 μg/L had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92% for proven HAI. For PCT levels >40 μg/L, the PPV was 100%.<b>Implications of the findings.</b> At levels <0.26 μg/L, PCT had an NPV >90%. This 'rule-out' characteristic of PCT may be especially valuable in scenarios of diagnostic equipoise with regard to the presence of bacterial co-infection. Clinicians should take care to not unjustifiably associate elevations in PCT levels with the presence of bacterial co-infection, unless levels are extremely high, in which case the PPV rises significantly.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine
Published
2024-12-11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7196/ajtccm.2024.v30i4.1617
Primary Topic
Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

The utility of procalcitonin as a biomarker of hospital-acquired infection in severe COVID-19

Annalise E. Zemlin, Coenraad F.N. Koegelenberg, Arifa Parker, Jacques Lukenze Tamuzi et al.
African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care Medicine
Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
article

The utility of procalcitonin as a biomarker of hospital-acquired infection in severe COVID-19

Annalise E. Zemlin, Coenraad F.N. Koegelenberg, Arifa Parker, Jacques Lukenze Tamuzi, Peter S. Nyasulu, Rajiv T. Erasmus, Isaac Fwemba, Brian Allwood, Jantjie Taljaard, Claudia Schmidt, Lovemore Nyasha Sigwadhi, Usha Lalla
article en

Abstract

<b>What the study adds.</b> During an episode of hospital-acquired infection (HAI) in patients with severe COVID-19, procalcitonin (PCT) levels >1.00 μg/L had a moderate positive predictive value (PPV) of 52%, whereas levels <0.26 μg/L had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92% for proven HAI. For PCT levels >40 μg/L, the PPV was 100%.<b>Implications of the findings.</b> At levels <0.26 μg/L, PCT had an NPV >90%. This 'rule-out' characteristic of PCT may be especially valuable in scenarios of diagnostic equipoise with regard to the presence of bacterial co-infection. Clinicians should take care to not unjustifiably associate elevations in PCT levels with the presence of bacterial co-infection, unless levels are extremely high, in which case the PPV rises significantly.

African Journal of Thoracic and Critical Care MedicineVol. 30(4)
National Health Laboratory Service (ZA), Western Cape Department of Health (ZA), University of the Witwatersrand (ZA), Stellenbosch University (ZA), Tygerberg Hospital (ZA), University of Zambia (ZM)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 66%
Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.