Reduced Reliability of Procalcitonin (PCT) as a Biomarker of Bacterial Superinfection: Concerns about PCT-Driven Antibiotic Stewardship in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients-Results from a Retrospective Observational Study in Intensive Care Units.

COVID-19 ICU PCT SARS-CoV-2 biomarker critically ill intensive care unit procalcitonin

Journal

Journal of clinical medicine
ISSN: 2077-0383
Titre abrégé: J Clin Med
Pays: Switzerland
ID NLM: 101606588

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
24 Sep 2023
Historique:
received: 27 08 2023
revised: 18 09 2023
accepted: 21 09 2023
medline: 14 10 2023
pubmed: 14 10 2023
entrez: 14 10 2023
Statut: epublish

Résumé

The aim of this study was to assess whether procalcitonin levels is a diagnostic tool capable of accurately identifying sepsis and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) even in critically ill COVID-19 patients. In this retrospective, observational study, all critically ill COVID-19 patients who survived for ≥2 days in a single university hospital and had at least one serum procalcitonin (PCT) value and associated blood culture and/or culture from a lower respiratory tract specimen available were eligible for the study. Over the research period, 184 patients were recruited; 67 VAP/BSI occurred, with an incidence rate of 21.82 episodes of VAP/BSI (95% CI: 17.18-27.73) per 1000 patient-days among patients who were included. At the time of a positive microbiological culture, an average PCT level of 1.25-3.2 ng/mL was found. Moreover, also in subjects without positive cultures, PCT was altered in 21.7% of determinations, with an average value of 1.04-5.5 ng/mL. Both PCT and PCT-72 h were not linked to a diagnosis of VAP/BSI in COVID-19 patients, according to the multivariable GEE models (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 0.51-2.52 for PCT; aOR 1.32, 95% CI 0.66-2.64 for PCT-72 h). Elevated PCT levels might not always indicate bacterial superinfections or coinfections in a severe COVID-19 setting.

Sections du résumé

BACKGROUND BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to assess whether procalcitonin levels is a diagnostic tool capable of accurately identifying sepsis and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) even in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
METHODS METHODS
In this retrospective, observational study, all critically ill COVID-19 patients who survived for ≥2 days in a single university hospital and had at least one serum procalcitonin (PCT) value and associated blood culture and/or culture from a lower respiratory tract specimen available were eligible for the study.
RESULTS RESULTS
Over the research period, 184 patients were recruited; 67 VAP/BSI occurred, with an incidence rate of 21.82 episodes of VAP/BSI (95% CI: 17.18-27.73) per 1000 patient-days among patients who were included. At the time of a positive microbiological culture, an average PCT level of 1.25-3.2 ng/mL was found. Moreover, also in subjects without positive cultures, PCT was altered in 21.7% of determinations, with an average value of 1.04-5.5 ng/mL. Both PCT and PCT-72 h were not linked to a diagnosis of VAP/BSI in COVID-19 patients, according to the multivariable GEE models (aOR 1.13, 95% CI 0.51-2.52 for PCT; aOR 1.32, 95% CI 0.66-2.64 for PCT-72 h).
CONCLUSION CONCLUSIONS
Elevated PCT levels might not always indicate bacterial superinfections or coinfections in a severe COVID-19 setting.

Identifiants

pubmed: 37834815
pii: jcm12196171
doi: 10.3390/jcm12196171
pmc: PMC10573961
pii:
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

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Auteurs

Giancarlo Ceccarelli (G)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Francesco Alessandri (F)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Intensive Care Unit, Department of General, Specialistic Surgery, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Giuseppe Migliara (G)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Valentina Baccolini (V)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Giovanni Giordano (G)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Intensive Care Unit, Department of General, Specialistic Surgery, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Gioacchino Galardo (G)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.

Carolina Marzuillo (C)

Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Corrado De Vito (C)

Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Alessandro Russo (A)

Infectious and Tropical Disease Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, 'Magna Graecia' University of Catanzaro, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy.

Massimo Ciccozzi (M)

Unit of Medical Statistics and Molecular Epidemiology, University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, 00128 Rome, Italy.

Paolo Villari (P)

Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Mario Venditti (M)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Claudio M Mastroianni (CM)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Francesco Pugliese (F)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.
Intensive Care Unit, Department of General, Specialistic Surgery, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Gabriella d'Ettorre (G)

Hospital Policlinico Umberto I, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University of Rome Sapienza, 00185 Rome, Italy.

Classifications MeSH