Clinical effectiveness of procalcitonin‐ or C‐reactive protein‐guided antibiotic discontinuation protocols for adult patients who are critically ill with sepsis: a rapid systematic review and meta‐analysis
Combining relevant trials suggests that procalcitonin-guided discontinuation protocols may be both safe and effective for patients who are critically ill with sepsis, with no increased risk in mortality. In contrast, the evidence supporting C-reactive protein-guided protocols is limited. These findings underscore the potential importance of utilising procalcitonin to inform antimicrobial stewardship practices, particularly in critical care settings.
Authors
- Paul M. Dark
- J. Dumville
- Shraboni Ghosal
- Chunhu Shi
- Sonya Rafiq
- Tim Felton
Institutions
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust (GB)
- Health Data Research UK (GB)
- Wythenshawe Hospital (GB)
- Institute of Infection and Immunity (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Anaesthesia
- Published
- 2026-01-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.70109
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 31.52