Serum procalcitonin: a reliable marker for the diagnosis of sepsis in children
Journal Title: Pediatric Review: International Journal of Pediatric Research - Year 2016, Vol 3, Issue 2
Abstract
Objective: Diagnosis of sepsis in children should be done at the earliest so that appropriate treatment can be started. Though, serum procalcitonin has been studied as an early maker of sepsis still it is not recommended in sepsis guideline because of variable result. In this study, we studied the role of serum procalcitonin in establishing the diagnosis of sepsis in children. Materials & Methods: Blood samples were collected at admission from 60 children admitted to the central Intensive Care Units at SCB Medical College, Hospital Cuttack from August 2014 to November 2015. Patients were categorized into different groups according to clinical symptoms of sepsis, bacteriological and laboratory data. Group I consisted of 20 children with positive blood cultures and other biological parameters suggesting infection. Group II consisted of 20 children with negative blood cultures but had two or three of clinical symptoms of sepsis. The control group included 20 healthy children with no clinical and biological data suggesting infection. Sreum procalcitonin were determined by immunoluminometric assay method. Results: Mean levels of procalcitonin in septic children (group I) were significantly higher than the other two groups (P<0.005). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were determined for all markers and analyzed and compared with each other. Conclusion: We concluded that serum procalcitonin was a better marker than C - reactive protein in the diagnosis of sepsis in children.
Authors and Affiliations
Jasashree Choudhury, Debaprasad Mohanty, Sidharth Sraban Routray
Keywords
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