Evaluation of agreement between point-of-care and laboratory automated immunoassay in procalcitonin measurement among critically ill patients

Introduction: Procalcitonin (PCT) has attracted significant attention as a novel biomarker of sepsis. This study aimed to assess the agreement between blood results of PCT, obtained using the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus (FS113), a point-of-care (POC) procalcitonin testing device, and the automated Elecsys® BRAHMS PCT assay on the Cobas e411, among critically ill septic patients. Methodology: This observational study was conducted in the intensive care unit of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, in 2021. Whole blood samples were collected and tested with the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus (FS113) (Wondfo, China) for PCT measurement. Additionally, the same whole blood samples were centrifuged to produce plasma samples, which were then analyzed using the automated Elecsys® BRAHMS PCT assay on the Cobas e411 (Roche Diagnostics, Germany). Results: A total of 40 samples were analyzed in this study. Both PCT measurement techniques demonstrated a significant correlation, with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. Regression analysis revealed the following results: an Ordinary Least Square (OLS) slope of 0.91 (95% CI 0.83, 1.00) with an intercept of 1.27 (95% CI -0.75, 3.29); a Deming slope of 0.95 (95% CI 0.80, 1.10) with an intercept of 0.77 (95% CI -0.44, 1.85); and a Passing-Bablok slope of 1.16 (95% CI 0.99, 1.36) with an intercept of 0.22 (95% CI 0.08, 0.58). Conclusion: The point-of-care procalcitonin measurement provided by the Finecare™ FIA Meter Plus presents a viable alternative for assessing procalcitonin levels among septic patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Abbreviations: CLIA- chemiluminescence immunoassays; PCT- Procalcitonin; POC- Point-of-care Key words: procalcitonin, point of care, sepsis, Intensive care unit Citation: Ismail MA, Mazlan MZ, Hassan SK, Azman WNW, Koon TS, Yaacob NM, Omar M, Mohamad NAN. Evaluation of agreement between point-of-care and laboratory automated immunoassay in procalcitonin measurement among critically ill patients. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2023;27(4):470−477; DOI: 10.35975/apic.v27i4.2277 Received: November 27, 2022; Reviewed: July 11, 2023; Accepted: July 11, 2023