RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Procalcitonin in detecting neonatal nosocomial sepsis
JF Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
JO Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
SP F368
OP F370
DO 10.1136/fetalneonatal-2010-194100
VO 97
IS 5
A1 Cinzia Auriti
A1 Ersilia Fiscarelli
A1 Maria Paola Ronchetti
A1 Marta Argentieri
A1 Gabriella Marrocco
A1 Anna Quondamcarlo
A1 Giulio Seganti
A1 Francesco Bagnoli
A1 Giuseppe Buonocore
A1 Giovanni Serra
A1 Gianfranco Bacolla
A1 Savino Mastropasqua
A1 Annibale Mari
A1 Carlo Corchia
A1 Giusi Prencipe
A1 Fiammetta Piersigilli
A1 Lucilla Ravà
A1 Vincenzo Di Ciommo
YR 2012
UL http://fn.bmj.com/content/97/5/F368.abstract
AB Objective To investigate the accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) as a diagnostic marker of nosocomial sepsis (NS) and define the most accurate cut-off to distinguish infected from uninfected neonates. Setting Six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Patients 762 neonates admitted to six NICUs during a 28-month observational study for whom at least one serum sample was taken on admission. Main outcome measures Positive and negative predictive values at different PCT cut-off levels. Results The overall probability of an NS was doubled or more if PCT was >0.5 ng/ml. In very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, a cut-off of >2.4 ng/ml gave a positive predictive value of NS near to 50% with a probability of a false-positive diagnosis of NS in about 10% of the patients. Conclusions In VLBW neonates, a serum PCT value >2.4 ng/ml prompts early empirical antibiotic therapy, while in normal-birth-weight infants, a PCT value ≤2.4 ng/ml carries a low risk of missing an NS.