Should procalcitonin be measured routinely in acute decompensated heart failure?

Biomark Med. 2015;9(7):651-9. doi: 10.2217/bmm.15.29.

Abstract

Aim: To elucidate the prognostic role of procalcitonin (PCT) in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) without clinical signs of infection at admission.

Materials & methods: Serial measurements of PCT and NT-proBNP were performed in 168 patients, aged 68 ± 10 years with ADHF followed by 3-month outcome evaluation.

Results: Cox regression analysis demonstrated significant predictive value of baseline PCT for all-cause death/hospitalization (area under the curve: 0.67; p = 0.013) at 90th day. The patients with persistently elevated PCT or with an increase during the first 72 h of hospitalization had the worst prognosis (p = 0.0002).

Conclusion: Baseline and serial in-hospital measurements of PCT have significant prognostic properties for 3-month all-cause mortality/hospitalization in patients with ADHF without clinical signs of infection at admission.

Keywords: ADHF; NT-proBNP; procalcitonin; prognosis; serial measurements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Aged
  • Area Under Curve
  • Biomarkers / analysis
  • Calcitonin / analysis*
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
  • Female
  • Heart Failure / diagnosis*
  • Heart Failure / mortality
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Kaplan-Meier Estimate
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / analysis
  • Peptide Fragments / analysis
  • Prognosis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Protein Precursors / analysis*
  • ROC Curve

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • CALCA protein, human
  • Peptide Fragments
  • Protein Precursors
  • pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76)
  • Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
  • Calcitonin
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide