How reliable is procalcitonin as an inflammatory marker?

The role of procalcitonin (PCT) plasma levels as a diagnostic tool for intensive care patients has been intensively investigated during the past years. In particular for recognition of bacterial infections, PCT levels have been shown to be superior to other clinical and biochemical markers. Furthermore, some very recent studies show that in patients with lower respiratory tract infections PCT guided antibiotic therapy reduces antibiotic use and thereby may also reduce duration of stay of patients in hospital and thus cut hospitalisation costs. However, various studies indicate that the value of PCT as a prognostic marker is limited because of false positive or negative values. Despite these limitations PCT plasma levels are currently measured in intensive care units. The present study summarises the possible clinical uses of this lab marker as a diagnostic tool for the assessment of critically of ill patients.