Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Jun;25(6):397-402.
doi: 10.1038/sj.jp.7211296.

Procalcitonin as a screening test for late-onset sepsis in preterm very low birth weight infants

Ramesh Vazzalwar  1 , Estela Pina-Rodrigues, Bhagya L Puppala, Denise B Angst, Lorene Schweig
Affiliations

Procalcitonin as a screening test for late-onset sepsis in preterm very low birth weight infants

Ramesh Vazzalwar et al. J Perinatol. 2005 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the utility of procalcitonin (PCT) vs C-reactive protein (CRP) as indicators of late-onset neonatal sepsis in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants.

Methods: PCT and CRP levels were measured in VLBW infants with suspected sepsis and controls. Comparisons were made between infected vs noninfected infants. Using cutoff values of 0.5 and 1.0 ng/ml for PCT and 0.8 mg/dl for CRP, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated to evaluate these assays as potential predictors of late-onset sepsis.

Results: A total of 67 infants were evaluated. Mean PCT levels were significantly higher in the infected group (5.41 ng/ml) compared to the noninfected group (0.43 ng/ml) (p < 0.001). At a cut off value of 0.5 ng/ml, the sensitivity of PCT was 97%, whereas that of CRP was 73% in predicting late-onset sepsis. At a PCT cutoff of 1.0 ng/ml, sensitivities of PCT and CRP were similar (72% each).

Conclusion: PCT (0.5 ng/ml) is more sensitive than CRP in predicting late-onset sepsis in VLBW infants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types