Novel applications for serum procalcitonin testing in clinical practice. Review uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • INTRODUCTION: Procalcitonin has emerged as a reliable marker of acute bacterial infection in hospitalized patients and the assay has recently been incorporated into several clinical algorithms to reduce antimicrobial overuse, but its use in patients with end-organ dysfunction is controversial. Areas covered: In this review, the authors examine what is known about procalcitonin testing in patients with organ dysfunction, including those with end-stage renal disease, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cirrhosis, and explore how the assay is now being used in the management of non-infectious diseases. Expert commentary: Procalcitonin holds tremendous promise to identify a diverse set of medical conditions beyond those associated with acute bacterial infection, including post-surgical anastomotic leaks, acute kidney injury, and complications after intracerebral hemorrhage. The authors review recent studies examining procalcitonin in these areas and explore how the assay might be used to guide diagnosis and prognosis of non-infectious diseases in the near future.

publication date

  • November 22, 2017

Research

keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Procalcitonin

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85039984298

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1080/14737159.2018.1407244

PubMed ID

  • 29148856

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 18

issue

  • 1