The value of procalcitonin in predicting the severity of critically ill children

Abstract

Objective To study the value of Procalcitonin (PCT) in predicting the severity of the critically ill children by analyzing the clinical data of increased PCT level.Methods A total of 392 patients with increased PCT admitted to the PICU of Hunan Children's Hospital from August 2011 to April 2012 were enrolled.The data of clinical manifestations,medical condition,sputum culture,organ function and prognosis were summarized and analyzed statistically.The continuous variables were analyzed with t-test,the categorical variables were analyzed with Chi-squared test,and the correlation analysis was calculated using Pearson coefficients.Results Serum PCT had a positive correlation with inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP),white blood cell (WBC) count and the percentage of neutrophils (NEU％) (P ＜ 0.01).PCT was significantly higher when sputum culture was positive (P ＜0.05) but there were no obvious changes in CRP,WBC and NEUT％ (P ＞ 0.05).Serum PCT increased obviously in the presence of organ dysfunction.The higher serum PCT,the more likely multiple organ failure would happen.The PCT level upon admission in death group (63 cases) was (62.43 ± 70.19) ng/ml,which was higher than that in survival group (P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions PCT level is helpful in assessment of severity and prognosis of bacterial infection in critically ill children,and can reflect the organ dysfunction objectively.It can improve the survival rate and the life quality in critically ill children. Key words: Procalcitonin; Critically ill children ; Sputum culture ; Organ dysfunction ; Prognosis