TY - JOUR
T1 - Procalcitonin in detecting neonatal nosocomial sepsis
AU - Auriti, Cinzia
AU - Fiscarelli, Ersilia
AU - Ronchetti, Maria Paola
AU - Argentieri, Marta
AU - Marrocco, Gabriella
AU - Quondamcarlo, Anna
AU - Seganti, Giulio
AU - Bagnoli, Francesco
AU - Buonocore, Giuseppe
AU - Serra, Giovanni
AU - Bacolla, Gianfranco
AU - Mastropasqua, Savino
AU - Mari, Annibale
AU - Corchia, Carlo
AU - Prencipe, Giusi
AU - Piersigilli, Fiammetta
AU - Ravà, Lucilla
AU - Di Ciommo, Vincenzo
PY - 2012/9
Y1 - 2012/9
N2 - Objective: To investigate the accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) as a diagnostic marker of nosocomial sepsis (NS) and define the most accurate cut-off to distinguish infected from uninfected neonates. Setting: Six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Patients: 762 neonates admitted to six NICUs during a 28-month observational study for whom at least one serum sample was taken on admission. Main outcome measures: Positive and negative predictive values at different PCT cut-off levels. Results: The overall probability of an NS was doubled or more if PCT was >0.5 ng/ml. In very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, a cut-off of >2.4 ng/ml gave a positive predictive value of NS near to 50% with a probability of a false-positive diagnosis of NS in about 10% of the patients. Conclusions: In VLBW neonates, a serum PCT value >2.4 ng/ml prompts early empirical antibiotic therapy, while in normal-birth-weight infants, a PCT value ≤2.4 ng/ml carries a low risk of missing an NS.
AB - Objective: To investigate the accuracy of procalcitonin (PCT) as a diagnostic marker of nosocomial sepsis (NS) and define the most accurate cut-off to distinguish infected from uninfected neonates. Setting: Six neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Patients: 762 neonates admitted to six NICUs during a 28-month observational study for whom at least one serum sample was taken on admission. Main outcome measures: Positive and negative predictive values at different PCT cut-off levels. Results: The overall probability of an NS was doubled or more if PCT was >0.5 ng/ml. In very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants, a cut-off of >2.4 ng/ml gave a positive predictive value of NS near to 50% with a probability of a false-positive diagnosis of NS in about 10% of the patients. Conclusions: In VLBW neonates, a serum PCT value >2.4 ng/ml prompts early empirical antibiotic therapy, while in normal-birth-weight infants, a PCT value ≤2.4 ng/ml carries a low risk of missing an NS.
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U2 - 10.1136/fetalneonatal-2010-194100
DO - 10.1136/fetalneonatal-2010-194100
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84865833856
VL - 97
JO - Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition
JF - Archives of Disease in Childhood: Fetal and Neonatal Edition
SN - 1359-2998
IS - 5
ER -