Impact of the use of procalcitonin assay in hospitalized adult patients with pneumonia at a community acute care hospital

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2012 Apr;33(4):424-6. doi: 10.1086/664764.

Abstract

A retrospective, quasi-experimental cohort study compared antibiotic use before and after implementation of a procalcitonin assay at a community acute care hospital. This study demonstrated that the implementation of the procalcitonin assay was associated with a decrease in antibiotic days of therapy in adult patients with pneumonia.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Calcitonin / blood*
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Drug Utilization Review / methods
  • Female
  • Hospitals, Community / methods
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / blood
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / drug therapy
  • Pneumonia, Viral / blood
  • Pneumonia, Viral / diagnosis*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy
  • Protein Precursors / blood*
  • Retrospective Studies

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • CALCA protein, human
  • Protein Precursors
  • Calcitonin
  • Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide