[Procalcitonin in severe trauma]

Abstract

The diagnosis of infection in systemic inflammatory syndrome response is difficult but essential for correct patient management. Procalcitonin is a new biochemical marker of infection especially for bacterial infection. Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein (CRP) were prospectively studied in 21 severe trauma patients and correlated with the trauma severity and the occurrence of infection. At the early post-traumatic period (admission to day 3) procalcitonin and CRP are correlated with the severity of trauma (early volume loading and markers of tissue injury) as did typically acute inflammatory proteins. At the late post-traumatic period (day 7) while CRP concentrations remain elevated in all patients, procalcitonin concentrations are only raised in septic patients even if inflammation's clinical signs persist.