ObjectiveTo investigate the role of dynamic monitoring procalcitonin (PCT) in the comprehensive evaluation during the diagnosis and treatment of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). MethodsFour hundred and sixty-eight patients with CAP were randomly assigned to a PCT-guided group (the research group) and a standard guideline group (the control group). The clinical symptoms,CURB-65 grade,blood leucocyte count and classification,and C-reactive protein (CRP)were compared between two groups. The PCT-guided application time of antibiotics,the hospitalization time,chest CT examination rate,the cure or the improvement rate were also estimated and commpared. ResultsThe hospitalization time [(9.6±1.7)days vs. (10.9±1.6)days],hospitalization cost [(6 957.11±1 009.46) yuan vs. (8 011.35±1 049.77) yuan],chest CT examination rate (56.96% vs. 89.40%),the application time of antibiotics [(16.5±2.3)days vs. (20.0±1.2)days],and the rate of required antibiotics upgrade (6.96% vs. 11.06%) in the research group were all significantly lower than the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between two groups in the ratio of the adverse reaction of antibiotics (14.78% vs. 15.20%),the rate of transfer into ICU (2.61% vs. 3.69%) or the mortality (1.74% vs. 2.30%)(P>0.05). ConclusionOn the basis of CAP guidelines,the dynamic monitoring of PCT may shorten the time of antibiotic use and the hospitalization,reduce the cost of hospitalization and the rate of chest CT scan in patients with CAP.
ObjectiveTo explore the value of procalcitonin-to-albumin (PAR) in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).MethodsA retrospective study was carried on patients diagnosed with ARDS from December 2016 to March 2018. The receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to identify the cutoff value of PAR. The association of PAR and 28-day mortality was evaluated using univariate and multivariable Cox regression.ResultsIn the final analysis, there were a total of 255 patients included. Of whom 164 (64.3%) was male, 91 (35.7%) was female and the mean age was 52.1±14.5 years old. The 28-day mortality of all the patients was 32.9% (n=84). ROC curve revealed that the cutoff value of PAR was 0.039 (specificity: 0.714, sensitivity: 0.702) and area under the curve was 0.793 (95%CI: 0.735 - 0.850, P<0.001). The following variables were considered for multivariable adjustment: age, body mass index, pneumonia, aspiration, sepsis, surgery, PaO2/FiO2, red blood cell counts and PAR (P<0.01 in univariate analysis). After multivariable analysis, only age (HR: 1.033, 95%CI: 1.009 - 1.059, P=0.008), PaO2/FiO2 (HR: 0.992, 95%CI: 0.985 - 1.000, P=0.044) and PAR (HR: 4.899, 95%CI: 2.148 - 11.174, P<0.001) remained independently associated with 28-day mortality (P<0.05).ConclusionHigh PAR predicts a poor outcome in ARDS patients, therefore it appears to be a prognostic biomarker of outcomes in patients with ARDS.
ObjectiveTo systematically review the diagnostic value of procalcitonin (PCT) for tuberculous pleural effusion. MethodsWe electronically searched CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, The Cochrane Library and EMbase from inception to April, 2013, to collect the literature about the diagnostic value of PCT for tuberculous pleural effusion compared with gold standard (positive outcomes of mycobacterium tuberculosis culture). Two reviewers screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed the quality of included studies. MetaDiSc 1.4 were used to conduct the meta-analysis. ResultsEight studies were finally included. The results of meta-analysis showed the pooled sensitivity and specificity were 0.63 (95%CI 0.58 to 0.68) and 0.76 (95%CI 0.70 to 0.81), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 2.72 (95%CI 1.48 to 5.02) and 0.49 (95%CI 0.29 to 0.82), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 5.77 (95%CI 1.89 to 17.58). And the SROC AUC was 0.79. Heterogeneity was mainly derived from the QUADAS score and Begg's test showed there was no presence of publication bias. ConclusionPCT is a potential marker in the diagnosis of benign and tuberculous pleural effusion, which can be used to determine diagnosis identification of tuberculous pleural effusion.
Objective To explore the predictive value of serum procalcitonin (PCT), D-dimer (D-D) and decoy receptor 3 (DcR3) for prognosis of patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and respiratory failure undergoing non-invasive ventilation (NIV). Methods A total of 95 patients with AECOPD and respiratory failure undergoing basic treatment and NIV in the hospital were retrospectively enrolled between September (n=65) 2017 and February 2021. According to prognosis after treatment, they were divided into a good prognosis group and a poor prognosis group (n=30). The general data of all patients were collected. The influencing factors of prognosis were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression model. The levels of DcR3, PCT and D-D were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, colloidal gold colorimetry and immunoturbidimetry. The patients condition was assessed by scores of acute physiology chronic health evaluation scoring system Ⅱ (APACHEⅡ). The partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2) and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) were recorded. And the above indexes between the two groups were compared. The relationship between DcR3, PCT, D-D and APACHEⅡ score, PaO2, PaCO2 was analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. The prognostic value of DcR3, PCT and D-D was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results There was no significant difference in gender, GOLD grading or underlying diseases between the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group (P>0.05), but there were significant differences in age, DcR3, PCT, D-D, APACHEⅡ score, PaO2 and PaCO2 after treatment (P<0.05). DcR3, PCT, D-D, APACHEⅡ score and PaCO2 in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group, while PaO2 was lower than that in the good prognosis group (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that DcR3 ≥5.50 ng/mL (OR=21.889), PCT ≥ 5.00 μg/L (OR=3.782), D-D ≥3.00 μg/L (OR=4.162) and APACHEⅡ score ≥20 points (OR=2.540) were all influencing factors of prognosis (P<0.05). The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that DcR3, PCT and D-D were positively correlated with APACHEⅡ score and PaCO2, while negatively correlated with PaO2 (P<0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that area under ROC curve of DcR3, PCT and D-D for predicting the prognosis were 0.745 (95%CI 0.631 - 0.859), 0.691 (95%CI 0.579 - 0.803) and 0.796 (95%CI 0.696 - 0.895), respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion The serum DcR3, PCT and D-D levels are related to disease progression in patients with AECOPD and respiratory failure after NIV, which have good predictive efficiency for prognosis and can be applied as important biological indexes to evaluate prognosis and guide treatment.
ObjectiveTo compare and evaluate the diagnostic value of procalcitonin(PCT) and soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1(sTREM-1) for ventilator-associated pneumonia(VAP). MethodsThe related studies were systematically searched in PubMed, OvidSP (EMBASE), Cochrane Library, clinicaltrials.gov, EBSCO, CBM, CNKI and Wanfang database and the methodological quality of all eligible studies were assessed using the Quality Assessment for Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (QUADAS) tool. The sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and areas under the summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) curve of PCT and sTREM-1 were pooled by Meta-disc software, respectively. Area under the sROC curve (AUC) was compared using Z-test. In addition, Bayes's theorem was used to calculate the probability of VAP, conditioned by the likelihood ratio as a function of the pretest probability. ResultsIn total, 31 studies were included (20 studies on PCT and 11 studies on sTREM-1). The combined sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC of diagnosing VAP by PCT was 0.78, 0.74, 15.21, and 0.868, respectively. And the combined sensitivity, specificity, DOR and AUC of diagnosing VAP by sTREM-1 was 0.88, 0.80, 30.28, and 0.919, respectively. There was no statistical difference between two areas under the sROC curve (P=0.25). ConclusionsTREM-1 is superior to PCT in diagnosing VAP, however, neither can confirm nor exclude VAP alone.
Objective To evaluate the value of serumprocalcitonin( PCT) guided antibiotic strategy in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease( AECOPD) .Methods From August 2011 to June 2012, a total of 96 patients hospitalized for AECOPD were randomly assigned into a PCT-guided group( n = 48) and an empirical therapy group( n = 48) . The PCT levels of PCT-guided group were measured by immunochemiluminometric assays before and 5,7, 10 days after treatment. The PCT-guided group was treated with antibiotics according to serum PCT levels, ie. antibiotic treatment was applied when PCT level ≥ 0. 25 μg/L and was discouraged when PCT level lt; 0. 25 μg/L. The empirical therapy group received antibiotics according to physician’s decision. The antibiotics usage rate, length of antibiotic exposure, length of hospitalization, clinical efficacy, hospital mortality, rate of invasive mechanical ventilation and costs of hospitalization were recorded. Results The antibiotics usage rate, length of antibiotic exposure, length of hospitalization, and costs of hospitalization in the PCT-guided group were all lower than those of the empirical therapy group( P lt;0.05) while clinical efficacy, hospital mortality and rate of invasive mechanical ventilation were similar in two groups(Pgt;0.05) . Conclusion PCT guided antibiotic strategy can be used in the treatment of AECOPD, which may reduce the dose of antibiotic drugs to avoid bacterial resistance and lower costs of hospitalization.
Objective To investigate predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients with liver cirrhosis ascites. Methods The clinical data of 140 patients with liver cirrhosis ascites treated in our hospital from January 2012 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the presence of SBP, these patients were divided into SBP group and non-SBP group. The clinical data were compared between these two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to assess their sensitivities and specificities of PCT and CRP for diagnosis of SBP. Results The PCT and CRP levels of the SBP group were significantly higher than those of the non-SBP group (P<0.05). The differences of serum ALT, AST and white cell count between the SBP group and the non-SBP were not statistically significant (P>0.05). The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve of PCT and CRP were 0.895 and 0.926, their corresponding cut-off value 2.1 μg/L and 24.8 mg/L, the sensitivities were 86.9% and 89.5%, the specificities were 85.1% and 83.5%, respectively. Conclusion Abnormally elevated PCT and CRP levels might have an important detective value for SBP in patients with liver cirrhosis ascites.
Objective?To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) for ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Methods?We searched MEDLINE, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, CBM, BIOSIS to identify all diagnostic tests which evaluated the diagnostic value of PCT in patients with VAP. QUADAS items were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (+LR), negative likelihood ratio (-LR), summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curve, and the heterogeneity of the included studies were calculated by using the Meta-disk software. Results?Five studies which were identified from 103 references met the inclusion criteria. The summary sensitivity, specificity, +LR, and –LR values were 0.70 (95%CI 0.62 to 0.77), 0.76 (95%CI 0.69 to 0.82), 5.651 (95%CI 1.237 to 25.810), and 0.349 (95%CI 0.155 to 0.784), respectively. Overall area under the curve (AUC) of SROC curve was 0.884 (DOR=19.416, 95%CI 2.473 to 152.47), demonstrating significant heterogeneity (I2gt;50%). Conclusion?The use of PCT for VAP diagnosis has only a moderate sensitivity and specificity. Although the overall accuracy of VAP diagnosis is relatively high, there is significant heterogeneity between the studies, so more high-quality studies are needed. Besides, using PCT alone to diagnose VAP is not sufficient, and a combination with other clinical evaluations is necessary.
Objective To evaluate the effect of hemoperfusion for absorption of inflammatory cytokines on sepsis . Method A prospective randomized controlled study was carried out to collect 60 sepsis patients admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of this hospital from June 2019 to December 2021. They were randomly divided into a study group (30 cases) and a control group (30 cases) by using the random number table method. Both groups of patients received routine treatment according to the guidelines, including fluid resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, antibiotic and vasoactive agents. For the patients with renal failure, renal replacement therapy (RRT) was used. Routine vital sign monitoring and serum procalcitonin (PCT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) determination were recorded. The study group received two times of hemoperfusion to absorb inflammatory cytokines at 0 h and 24 h after enrollment. At 24 h and 48 h after treatment, the vital signs and related physical and chemical indexes of patients were recorded again, including norepinephrine dose, oxygenation index, PCT, IL-6 and blood lactic acid. The changes of physical and chemical indexes and the 28-day survival rate of the two groups were compared. Results There was no difference in the general situation of the two groups when they were enrolled (P>0.05). The dosage of norepinephrine [(0.77±0.48)μg·kg–1·min–1 vs. (0.92±0.62) μg·kg–1·min–1, P=0.030] and the level of blood lactic acid [(2.70±1.43)mmol/L vs. (4.05±2.60)mmol/L, P=0.001] in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group 24 h and 48 h after treatment. The oxygenation index in the study group was higher than that of the control group 24 h after treatment (212±68)mm Hg vs. (197±42)mm Hg, P=0.042). The inflammation related indexes PCT [(17±24)ng/mL vs. (32±36)ng/mL, P=0.013] and IL-6 [299 (102, 853)pg/mL vs. 937 (247, 2230)pg/mL, P=0.026] in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group 48 h after treatment. The dosage of noradrenaline, oxygenation index, PCT, IL-6 and blood lactate level in the study group after treatment were improved compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), while those in the control group were not significantly improved after treatment (P>0.05), and oxygenation index in the two groups had no significant difference before and after treatment (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the 28-day survival rate between the two groups (χ2=0.211, P=0.646). Conclusion Although the hemoperfusion for absorption of inflammatory cytokine factors can not reduce the 28-day mortality of sepsis, it can significantly improve the early physical and chemical indicators of patients, and provide opportunities for follow-up treatment.
Objective To assess the value of procalcitonin ( PCT) in serum and percentage of infected cells ( PIC) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF) for the diagnosis of early ventilator-associatedpneumonia ( VAP) .Methods A prospective observational study was conducted in a teaching hospital. The patients consecutively admitted to the intensive care unit from January 2011 to June 2012, who received mechanical ventilation for more than 48h and clinically suspected for VAP, were recruited in the study.Patients with infection outside the lungs and previous diagnosed infection were excluded. PCT was detected and bronchoalveolar lavage was performed in the day when VAP was diagnosed. BALF cells were stained by May-Grunwald Giemsa ( MGG) for counting 100 phagocytic cells and calculating infected cells ( ICs )percentage.Results 76 of all 421 patients were enrolled in this study, 64 of which were diagnosed, 12 were under-diagnosed. The PCT [ ( 3. 48 ±1. 46) ng/mL vs. ( 1. 53 ±0. 60) ng/mL] and PIC [ ( 3. 11 ±1. 47) % vs. ( 1. 08 ±0. 29) % ] were significant higher in the patients with VAP. The threshold of 2 ng/mL of PCT and 2% of PIC corresponded to sensitivity of 78. 12% and 78. 12% , and specificity of 75. 00% and 91. 67% , respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve was 0. 87 ( 95% CI 78. 9%-95. 9% ) and 0. 874 ( 95% CI 79. 2% -94. 9% ) , respectively. The area under ROC curve was 0. 979, and the sensitivity was 97. 36% , specificity was 97. 36% when the two cutoff values were both achieved. Conclusion PCT and PIC are useful markers to diagnose early VAP quickly and conveniently and allow early antibiotic treatment of patients with suspected VAP.