Correlation of procalcitonin serum levels with the clinical course of sepsis

Aim: to observe the behavior of the procalcitonin serum levels during the clinical course of the sepsis in the local population. Methodology: prospective cohort study. Patients admitted to the intensive care unit of the Kennedy general hospital diagnosed with sepsis and without antibiotic treatment for more than 48 hours prior to admission were considered for the research. Serum levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and C reactive protein (CRP) were obtained, and APACHE II and MODS scores were calculated at admission and daily until the resolution of the septic picture or death of the patient. Results: eight patients were included in the research. A higher percentage decrease in PCT was observed in survivors than non-survivors between D1-D2 and D2-D3 (-54.48% and -60.15% vs. 1553.97% and 0%); which did not occur with CRP. A weak correlation of PCT and CRP over time (r=0.46) was observed. The correlation of PCT with APACHE II and MODS was higher than with the CRP (r=0.88 and 0.81 vs 0.60 and 0.53). Conclusions: a decrease > 30% between D1-D2 and > 50% between D2-D3 serum levels of PCT are associated with a favorable prognosis. PCT can be of major use than CRP in terms of daily monitoring of the therapy in septic patients. PCT has a higher correlation with the clinical course of the septic patient than CRP according to the APACHE II and MODS scores.