Sepsis and the B·R·A·H·M·S Procalcitonin (PCT) Assay

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker widely used to assess risk in the setting of bacterial infection for progression to severe sepsis and septic shock in conjunction with other laboratory findings and clinical assessment. Procalcitonin can be used as an aid in identification of patients at lower or higher risk of 28-day mortality after diagnosis with severe sepsis due to bacterial coinfection. It has also been shown to be a valuable tool in the current COVID-19 pandemic, including as a recommended test for potential clinical significance in recognizing bacterial (super) infection.^1,2

Following four decades of extensive clinical studies, PCT is now recognized as a marker for assessing sepsis risk and progression, and as a tool for guiding antibiotic therapy. The ten articles comprising this compendium address these usages in different clinical care settings for pathologies of varying severity, and also provide evidence of the financial benefit of using PCT.

PCT values rise in relation to sepsis severity, providing clinicians with a valuable tool for risk assessment of critically ill patients diagnosed with severe sepsis or septic shock. Read the educational brochure on Aiding Differential Diagnosis with the Siemens Healthineers B·R·A·H·M·S PCT Assay.