Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy duration in critically ill adults

AACN Adv Crit Care. 2015 Apr-Jun;26(2):99-106. doi: 10.1097/NCI.0000000000000079.

Abstract

Procalcitonin is a promising biomarker for antibiotic therapy because its levels rise and fall quickly with bacterial infections. A multidatabase literature search was reviewed with 3 primary prospective randomized control trials used in further analysis. The results indicated that a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic protocol reduces the number of days a patient has to take antibiotics while having no effect on mortality when compared with control groups. Short-term studies did not show a difference in the intensive care unit length of stay, infection relapse rate, superinfection rate, or multidrug-resistant bacteria rate between the procalcitonin-protocol and control group. Because procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy has been shown to reduce the duration of treatment with antibiotics in critically ill patients without worsening the mortality rate or other outcomes, the implementation of a procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy should be considered for patients with proven or highly suspected bacterial infections in the intensive care unit.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Bacterial Infections / blood*
  • Bacterial Infections / drug therapy*
  • Biomarkers / blood*
  • Calcitonin / blood*
  • Critical Illness / nursing*
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Biomarkers
  • Calcitonin