Yonsei medical journal
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Yonsei medical journal · Mar 2011
Utility of procalcitonin as an early diagnostic marker of bacteremia in patients with acute fever.
Procalcitonin (PCT) is a current, frequently used marker for severe bacterial infection. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of PCT levels to differentiate bacteremic from nonbacteremic patients with fever. We assessed whether PCT level could be used to accurately rule out a diagnosis of bacteremia. ⋯ In febrile patients, elevated PCT may help predict bacteremia; furthermore, low PCT levels were helpful for ruling out bacteremia as a diagnosis. Therefore, PCT assessment could help physicians limit the number of prescriptions for antibiotics.