Don’t measure procalcitonin outside of evidence-based protocols defined by professional Societies or at the health organization/regional/national level.

Don’t measure procalcitonin outside of evidence-based protocols defined by professional Societies or at the health organization/regional/national level.

Type of practice

Laboratory tests

Age

Adult, Geriatric, Pediatric

Topic Area

Laboratory Medicine

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been proposed to discriminate infections and in, particular, bacterial sepsis from viral and other causes and to reduce antibiotic prescribing. The heterogeneity of measurement methods, adopted cut-offs and recommended protocols have greatly divided the positions of governmental entities, professional Societies and professionals about the role of PCT in the laboratory.

Sources

1. NICE. Procalcitonin testing for diagnosing and monitoring sepsis (ADVIA Centaur BRAHMS PCT assay, BRAHMS PCT Sensitive Kryptor assay, Elecsys BRAHMS PCT assay, LIAISON BRAHMS PCT assay and VIDAS BRAHMS PCT assay). Diagnostics guidance-2015. Disponibile alla pagina: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/dg18/ [citato 3 aprile 2023].
2. Huang DT, Yealy DM, Filbin MR, et al. Procalcitonin guided use of antibiotics for lower respiratory tract infection. N Engl J Med 2018;379:236-49.
3. Dorizzi RM, Azzini AM, Sette P. La procalcitonina in terapia intensiva: dubbi che rimangono? Biochimica Clinica 2018;42:146-51.
4. Hamade B, Huang DT. Procalcitonin: Where Are We Now? Crit Care Clin 2020;36:23-40. doi: 10.1016/j.ccc.2019.08.003
5. Azzini AM, Dorizzi RM, Sette P, et al. A 2020 review on the role of procalcitonin in different clinical settings: an update conducted with the tools of the Evidence Based Laboratory Medicine. Ann Transl Med 2020;8:610. doi: 10.261037/atm-20-1855.
6. Chambliss AB, Patel K, Colón-Franco JM, et al. AACC Guidance Document on the Clinical Use of Procalcitonin. J Appl Lab Med 2023; 8:598-634.

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Attention. Please note that these items are provided only for information and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a clinician. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their clinician.