• D Moretti, M M Ramírez, C J Settecase, D H Bagilet, and M B Quaglino.
• Unidad de Terapia Intensiva, Hospital Escuela Eva Perón, Granadero Baigorria (Gran Rosario), Santa Fe, Argentina. morettidino@hotmail.com
• Med Intensiva. 2013 Apr 1;37(3):156-62.

ObjectiveTo assess the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) upon admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in the diagnosis and prognosis of sepsisDesignA 12-month prospective observational cohort study was carried outSettingAn 11-bed polyvalent ICU Belonging to a University hospitalPatientsFifty patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) were included. The mean age of the patients was 51.66 years, and 68% of them were malesVariables Of InterestUpon admission, the concentration of PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP) was assessed. At discharge, the final diagnosis and outcome were reviewedResultsThirty-six patients had sepsis. Mean PCT ± SD was higher in sepsis than in non-infectious SIRS (19.3 ± 4.9 vs. 0.65 ± 0.2) ng/ml) (P=.001). PCT had greater discriminating power than CRP (AUC 0.932 vs. 0.827). The cut-off value of PCT for the diagnosis of sepsis was 0.92 ng/dl, with a sensitivity of 80.56%, specificity 85.71%, positive predictive value 93.55% and negative predictive value 63.16%, LR+ 5.64 and LR- 0.23. Mortality was higher in patients with sepsis (52.78% vs. 21.43%) (P=.039). Mean PCT ± SD upon admission among survivors and deceased patients with sepsis was 18.7 ± 6.7 and 19.5 ± 7.5 ng/ml, respectively (P=.934).ConclusionsPCT upon admission to the ICU is useful for the diagnosis of sepsis, and is more effective than PCR in this respect. However, it is of no help in estimating the short-term prognosis.Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. and SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

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