Procalcitonin guided antibiotic therapy in patients presenting with fever in the emergency department

摘要

In this journal, Tromp et al. reported on the biomarker procalcitonin (PCT), a precursor protein of calcitonin, in the diagnosis of bacterial infections. The study compared the accuracy of PCT, interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), C-reactive protein (CRP) in diagnosing bacterial infections. PCT was tested the best single biomarker for the prediction of bacteraemia in septic patients in the emergency department (ED).1 We describe our findings of a study using PCT guided antibiotic therapy to reduce antibiotics prescription in the ED. We show a trend toward significance in reducing antibiotic prescription using a single PCT measurement, in undifferentiated febrile patients visiting the ED.