Background. Neonatal sepsis contributes substantially to neonatal morbidity and mortality. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a recognized biomarker for the diagnosis of late-onset neonatal sepsis (LONS), however, little is known about the prognosis value of PCT in LONS. This study aims at assessing PCT value as a prognosis biomarker in preterm infants with LONS. Methods. Retrospective single center observational cohort. All premature infants (less than 32 weeks of gestational age) with LONS admitted in a

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... ertiary neonatal intensive care unit.Discussion. Among the 59 preterm infants included in the analysis, 48 survived (81.4%, 48/59). Deceased patients had a significantly lower gestational age (p=0,025) and weight (p= 0,016) at the time of LONS diagnosis. Although PCT values were not different between both groups at the time of LONS diagnosis, it was more elevated during the first 24 hours in deceased patients (p=0,041). Accuracy of PCT for LONS prognosis ranged from 0.70 to 0.82 of area under the curve on reciever operating characteristics curves. Optimal PCT cut-off values at LONS diagnosis was 8,92 µg/L (Youden's J index 0.53), 15.75 µg/L for PCT values during the first 24 hours (J index 0.56), and 6.74 µg/L between 24 and 48 hours after diagnosis (J index 0.54). The estimated survival probability at day 60 was above 95% for patient with a PCT value at sepsis diagnosis under 8,9 µg/L and less than 45% if higher (p<0.0001). Conclusion. A PCT value > 8.92 µg/L obtained at LONS diagnosis suspicion seems to be a good prognosis biomarker.