Leukemia & lymphoma
-
Leukemia & lymphoma · Oct 2019
Procalcitonin as a marker of Gram-negative bloodstream infections in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia.
The aim of this study was to explore the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) in Gram-negative bloodstream infections (BSIs) in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia. A total of 1466 samples (396 blood culture (BC)-positive, 1052 BC-negative, and 18 contaminated specimens) were included, comprising 268 Gram-negative, 88 Gram-positive, 19 fungal, and 21 polymicrobial BSIs. ⋯ PCT levels were significantly higher in BSIs from multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative strains than from non-MDR (p < .01). This study confirms that elevated PCT may predict Gram-negative BSIs in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia, and demonstrates higher PCT levels in MDR Gram-negative BSIs in these patients.