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 explore the value of procalcitonin (PCT) in differential diagnosis of invasive candidiasis. Methods PubMed, Embase, Medline, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data were searched for articles published from the dates of establishment of databases to January 2021. A prospective and retrospective cohort studies and a case-control studies of PCT in differential diagnosis of invasive candidiasis were collected. RevMan 5.3 software QUADAS-2 risk assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the literature. Meta-Disc 1.4 software was used to determine whether the original data had threshold effect and heterogeneity. Stata 14.0 software was used to analyze meta, judge publication bias and draw Deeks diagram. Results A total of 9 articles and 943 patients were included. There were 259 cases in candida group and 684 cases in control group. The study showed that the total sensitivity was 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) (0.80, 0.91)], specificity was 0.78 [95%CI (0.70, 0.84)], positive likelihood ratio was 3.92 [95%CI (2.77, 5.55)], negative likelihood ratio was 0.18 [95%CI (0.12, 0.27)], the area under receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.90 [95%CI (0.87, 0.92)], diagnostic odds ratio was 19.75 [95%CI (10.71, 36.43)]. The results of heterogeneity test showed that there was heterogeneity caused by non-threshold effect between studies. The results of subgroup analysis showed that the heterogeneity I2 value of PCT<2 ng/mL subgroup decreased significantly, and the result was more stable, with sensitivity. The results show that sensitivity was 0.86 [95%CI (0.79, 0.91)], specificity was 0.72 [95%CI (0.63, 0.80)], the area under receiver operator characteristic curve was 0.87 [95%CI (0.83, 0.89)]. Conclusions Serum PCT in the differential diagnosis of invasive candidiasis has certain accuracy and negative predictive value. However, PCT is only an auxiliary test. The differential diagnosis of invasive candidiasis should be combined with clinical features and other diagnostic indexes.
ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of procalcitonin guided algorithms of antibiotic therapy in acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). MethodsWe searched PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library (Issue 6, 2016), CBM, CNKI, VIP, and WanFang Data from the date of their establishment to July 2016, to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about procalcitonin guided antibiotics therapy in patients with AECOPD. References of the included literature were also searched manually for additional studies. The literature screening, data extraction and bias risk assessment of the included studies were completed by two reviewers independently. Statistical analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.2 software. ResultsA total of ten RCTs involving 1 071 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis indicated that compared with the standard treatment group, the antibiotic prescription rate (RR=0.70, 95% CI 0.55 to 0.89, P=0.004), the rate of duration of antibiotic >10 days (RR=0.38, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.56, P<0.000 01) and the superinfection rate (RR=0.23, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.58, P=0.002) were significantly lower in the procalcitonin-guided treatment group. There were no statistical differences in clinical effective rate (RR=0.98, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.06, P=0.61), hospital mortality (RR=0.84, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.73, P=0.43), and the rate of need for intensive care (RR=0.77, 95% CI 0.40 to 1.47, P=0.43). ConclusionProcalcitonin guided antibiotics therapy may reduce antibiotic exposure and superinfection rate in patients with AECOPD. In addition, due to the low methodological quality and limited quantity of the included studies, larger sample-size, and high quality RCTs are needed to verify the above conclusion.
Objective To evaluate systematically the effectiveness and safety of procalcitonin ( PCT) -guided therapy in comparison with standard therapy in patients with suspected or confirmed severe bacterial infections in intensive care unit ( ICU) . Methods Five randomized controlled trials ( 927 patients) were included for statistical analysis by the cochrane collaboration′s RevMan5. 0 software. Results PCT-guided therapy was associated with a significant reduction in duration of antibiotic therapy [ MD =- 2. 01, 95% CI ( - 2. 37, - 1. 64) , P lt;0. 00001] , but the mortality [ OR =1. 11, 95% CI ( 0. 83, 1. 49) ,P =0. 47] and length of ICU stay[ MD = 0. 49, 95% CI( - 1. 44, 2. 42) , P = 0. 62] were not significantly different. Conclusions An algorithmbased on serial PCT measurements would allow a more judicious use of antibiotics than currently traditional treatment of patients with severe infections in ICU. It can reduce the use of antibiotics and appears to be safe.
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 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.
Objectives To identify the effect of procalcitonin (PCT) on the choice of operating time for severe acute pancreatitis and assessment of postoperative complications by monitoring the level of serum PCT and recording the incidence of postoperative complications. MethodsNinety-three patients who underwent debridement and drainage of infected necrosis from Sep. 2009 to Dec. 2011 were included. Serum PCT was tested on the day of admission (0 day), one week after admission, one day before surgery, one day after surgery, and one week after surgery. According to the level of serum PCT, all the 93 patients were divided into 3 groups:low level group (PCT < 2 ng/mL), middle level group (PCT 2-10 ng/mL), and high level group (PCT > 0 ng/mL). Postoperative complications were also recorded. ResultsThe incidence of postoperative complications was 19.4% (18/93). There were postoperative bleeding in 13 patients, intestinal fistula in 14 patients, pancreatic fistula in 18 patients, pulmonary infection in 4 patients, residual abscess in 10 patients; re-operation in 15 patients, and death in 8 patients (the death rate was 8.6%). Besides the pulmonary infection, and grade A and C of pancreatic fistula, the incidence of various complications in middle level group and high level group were lower than low level group (P < 0.05). Patients with complications had significantly higher PCT value in one week after admission than onset (P < 0.05). PCT value was higher in the patients with intestinal fistula and residual abscess on one day after operation than on one day before operation (P < 0.05). Patients who died or with re-operation had significantly higher PCT value in one week after operation than on one day after operation (P < 0.05). In the dead patients, the serum PCT sustained at a high level after operation. ConclusionsThe level of serum PCT is correlated with the incidence of postoperative complications. Dynamic monitoring the level of serum PCT can guide the choice of operative time and assessment of postoperative complications including intestinal fistula, pulmonary infection, and death, which can greatly improve the prognosis of SAP.
Objective To evaluate the predicting effect of quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) on septic shock, and investigate the probability of improving the predicting effect. Methods Patients with sepsis diagnosed in Emergency Department from July 2015 to June 2016 were enrolled. They were divided into shock group and non-shock group based on whether or not they had septic shock during 72 hours after admission. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to find out the independent risk factors affecting the incidence of septic shock. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze those risk factors. Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS), Mortality in Emergency Department Sepsis Score (MEDS), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA), Acute Physiology and Chronic HealthEvaluation (APACHE)Ⅱ and qSOFA were also compared with ROC curve analysis. The possibility of improvement of qSOFA predicting effect was discussed. Results A total of 821 patients were enrolled, with 108 in septic shock group and 713 in non-septic shock. The result of multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure, pH value, oxygenation index, lactate, albumin, Glasgow Coma Score and procalcitonin were the independent risk factors (P<0.05). The result of ROC analysis showed that the area under curve (AUC) of pH value, lactate and procalcitonin was 0.695, 0.678 and 0.694, respectively. Lactate had the highest value of specificity (0.868), positive predictive value (0.356) and positive likelihood ratio (3.644), while the sensitivity (0.889) and negative predictive value (0.961) of procalcitonin were the highest. MEWS, MEDS, SOFA, APACHEⅡ and qSOFA were compared with ROC. SOFA had the best predicting effect with the statistical results of AUC (0.833), sensitivity (0.835), specificity (0.435), positive predictive value (0.971), negative predictive value (0.971), and positive likelihood ratio (5.048); and MEWS had the highest negative likelihood ratio (0.581). qSOFA did not show a best predicting value. Conclusion qSOFA is not the best choice to predict the possibility of septic shock, but its predicting value might be improved when combined with pH value, lactate and procalcitonin.
Objective To investigate the value of procalcitonin-guided treatment on antibiotic use in severe acute exacerbations of asthma. Methods From April 2008 to December 2010, a total of 77 patients with severe acute exacerbations of asthma were randomly assigned into a PCT group ( n =38) and a control group ( n=39) . The serum concentration of procalcitonin ( PCT) were measured in all patients. On the base of similar routine treatment, the control group received antibiotics based on the physician’s decision.Meanwhile the PCT group were treated with antibiotics according to serum PCT levels: antibiotic treatment was applied with PCT level ≥0. 25ng/mL and was discontinoued with PCT level lt; 0. 25ng/mL. Length of hospitalization, duration of antibiotics, cost of antibiotics, clinical efficacy were observed. Results The duration of antibiotics use in the PCT group [ 7 ( 5 ～11) d] was shorter than that in the control group [ 11( 7 ～16) d] ( Z = - 2. 26, P = 0. 025) , and the cost of antibiotics in the PCT group [ 2125( 1560 ～4347) yuan] was lower than that in the control group [ 3588 ( 2677 ～5280) yuan] ( Z = - 2. 01, P =0. 033) . The clinical efficacy and length of hospitalization were similar in two groups ( P gt; 0. 05) .Conclusion PCT guidance can reduce antibiotic duration and antibiotic cost in treatment of acute severe exacerbations of asthma.
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.