Procalcitonin as a biomarker for ventilator associated pneumonia in COVID-19 patients: Is it an useful stewardship tool?

• Published in: Diagnostic microbiology and infectious disease Vol. 101; no. 2; p. 115344
• Main Authors: Côrtes, Marina Farrel, de Almeida, Bianca Leal, Espinoza, Evelyn Patricia Sanchez, Campos, Aléia Faustina, do Nascimento Moura, Maria Luiza, Salomão, Matias C., Boszczowski, Icaro, Freire, Maristela Pinheiro, de Carvalho, Laina Bubach, Paranhos-Baccalà, Gláucia, Costa, Silvia Figueiredo, Guimarães, Thaís
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2021
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Antimicrobial Stewardship - methods; Biomarkers - blood; Clinical Studies; COVID-19; COVID-19 - complications; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - drug therapy; Female; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated - complications; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated - drug therapy; Procalcitonin; Procalcitonin - blood; ROC Curve; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-Cov-2 pandemic; Secondary infection; Ventilator Associated Pneumonia; COVID-19; Secondary infection; Ventilator Associated Pneumonia; SARS-Cov-2 pandemic; Procalcitonin
• ISSN: 0732-8893; 1879-0070
• DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2021.115344

Ventilator associated pneumonia(VAP) is a severe complication that can lead to high mortality when not early identified or when therapy is delayed. The aim of this study was to evaluate procalcitonin(PCT) as a biomarker for VAP development. In total, 73 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were analyzed. PCT levels greater than 0.975ng/mL were more related to VAP. No association was found for C-reactive protein (CRP). The results show that procalcitonin may be a pertinent biomarker for VAP diagnosis and can be a helpful tool for antibiotic withdrawal.