In this single-center randomized trial, serum procalcitonin was measured for all ICU patients with suspected infections, but half of the patients’ procalcitonin values were blinded. There were no differences between the groups in antibiotic treatment days. Also, 34% of those without confirmed infection had high procalcitonin levels, and 15% of those with confirmed infection had low procalcitonin levels (abstract). In this study of ICU patients with suspected infections, procalcitonin levels did not effectively rule in or rule out confirmed infections, and did not reduce antibiotic days.
Share This Post
Categories
Related Posts
During the first two to three weeks of the pandemic in 2020, I was involved in a lot of meetings about the current status and future plans for the impending surge of COVID-19 patients we were anticipating. It was during that time we witnessed COVID-19 ravaging cities like New York City. In one of the […]
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed health care as we know it. It has sowed fear and doubt among the public and created endless questions without answers. Our hospitalized patients may wonder why they can’t have their families beside them and worry about contracting the virus in the hospital. Strict visitation policies only add to their […]
This article is part of a series in The Hospital Leader written by members of the Division of Hospital Medicine at Dell Medical School at The University of Texas in Austin, exploring lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic and outlining an approach for creating COVID-19 Centers of Excellence. During the early months of the COVID-19 […]
Leave A Comment