| Practical Application of Semiquantitative Procalcitonin Test in Emergency Department |
| Sung Wook Kim, Young Min Oh, Se Min Choe, Gyeong Ho Choe, Kyu Nam Park, Joo Suk Oh |
| Department of Emergency Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. holiday1@hanafos.com |
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| ABSTRACT |
PURPOSE:
Procalcitonin (PCT) is a good marker of infection but is still not routinely used. Here, we assessed the usefulness of a semi-quantitative procalcitonin test kit (PCT-Q(R)), a rapid and simple test for evaluating sepsis in the emergency department.
METHODS:
We recruited 80 patients who visited the emergency center and with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Patients were classified into 4 groups according to PCT levels using PCT-Q[Ed-Trademark signs only have to be given one time in a document]. Mortality rate, bacteremia, severity score, and severity of sepsis (SIRS/sepsis/severe sepsis/septic shock) were assessed with the criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference. We calculated a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve), cut-off value, and the related diagnostic parameters of each cut-off value.
RESULTS:
Higher PCT levels were significantly associated with increased mortality, bacteremia, and severity scores.
PCT levels could discriminate between sepsis and severe sepsis at a threshold of 2 ng/ml.
CONCLUSION:
PCT-Q is a prognostic marker of infectious disease, but low levels do not always indicate a good prognosis. PCT levels increase with aggravation of sepsis, especially at values greater than 2 ng/ml for severe sepsis. |
| Key words:
Procalcitonin, Emergency medicine, Reagent strips |
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