PCT as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in burn patients. Whether time course has a role in monitoring sepsis treatment

Abstract Objective To evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic performance of inflammatory markers for septic and non septic (localized) bacterial infections in patients with severe burn. Methods and results Data of 145 patients were prospectively included in this study. Serum procalcitonin and other inflammatory markers were measured within 24 h after burn and daily thereafter. Maximum procalcitonin ( p = 0.004) was independent predictors of outcome in logistic regression analysis. PCT thresholds of 1.5 ng/ml, 0.52 ng/ml and 0.56 ng/ml had adequate sensitivity and specificity to diagnose sepsis, respiratory tract and wound infections respectively. A threshold value of 7.8 ng/ml in PCT concentration on day 3 was associated with the effectiveness of the sepsis treatment with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI 0.69–1.03, p = 0.002). C-reactive protein levels and WBCs showed no significant change over the first 3 days in the patients with successfully treated sepsis ( p = 0.93). Conclusion The maximum procalcitonin level has prognostic value in burn patients. PCT can be used as a diagnostic tool in patients with infectious complications with or without bacteremia during ICU stay. Daily consecutive PCT measurements may be a valuable tool in monitoring the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy in burn ICU patients.