PURPOSE OF REVIEW Biomarkers, mainly procalcitonin, are commonly used in sepsis diagnosis, prognosis and treatment follow-up. This review summarizes the potential benefit of their use for the critically ill. RECENT… Click to show full abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Biomarkers, mainly procalcitonin, are commonly used in sepsis diagnosis, prognosis and treatment follow-up. This review summarizes the potential benefit of their use for the critically ill. RECENT FINDINGS Increased clinical evidence from randomized clinical trials of biomarker-guided treatment suggests a trend for appropriate but short antimicrobial treatment for the critically ill. Procalcitonin (PCT) is the most studied biomarker; in the majority of randomized clinical trials, the use of a stopping rule of antibiotics on the day when PCT is below 80% from baseline or less than 0.5 ng/ml was proven effective to reduce length of antimicrobial treatment, antibiotic-associated adverse events and infectious complications like infections by multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile. Survival benefit was also noted. SUMMARY Biomarkers, mainly PCT, may help improve sepsis outcome by restriction of injudicious antimicrobial use.
               
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