DIAGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF PROCALCITONIN IN SEPSIS

Dr. Molugu Divya Reddy, Dr. Sreenivas Reddy
2019 International Journal of Medical and Biomedical Studies  
Sepsis is a global healthcare problem, characterized by whole body inflammation in response to microbial infection, which leads to organ dysfunction. It is a frequent complication in hospitalized patients. Despite the use of available treatment modalities mortality in sepsis remains high, often due to delayed diagnosis and treatment. .Objective: To study the efficacy of procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker for sepsis. Design: This was a cross-sectional study. Duration: One year i.e. from
more » ... 2017 to January 2018. Setting: Nimra Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Participants: 100 Patients aged above 18 years presenting with acute sepsis to the Department Of Medicine, Nimra Institute of Medical Sciences, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods: Sepsis was confirmed clinically and/or by positive blood culture. Serum PCT was assayed semi-quantitatively by rapid immunochromatographic technique (within 2 hours of sample receipt). The patients were classified into groups. PCT and various other relevant factors were measured in all study subjects. PCT levels of less than 0.1 ng/ml were considered negative; all other levels were considered positive. Data were presented in the form of statistical Tables and charts. SPSS software version 20 was used for statistical analysis. Results: PCT proved to be an excellent indicator of sepsis. Serum PCT levels predicts mortality in the present study. Conclusion: The PCT assay was found to be a useful biomarker of sepsis in this study. The assay could be performed and reported rapidly and provided valuable information before availability of culture results. This might assist in avoiding unwarranted antibiotic usage. Keywords: Sepsis, Procalcitonin, Marker, Diagnosis.
doi:10.32553/ijmbs.v3i8.510 fatcat:lumninjdvrhu7pqgusl7t4deqy