Procalcitonin

Background:

Procalcitonin is released into the bloodstream when there is a bacterial infection in the body.

Procalcitonin testing has been introduced to help guide the management of patients with pneumonia and may be particularly useful in viral pneumonia when deciding to de-escalate antibiotics, or in patients whom have received Tociluzimab which makes CRP less reliable as a marker of infection.

• Requesting will be limited to Respiratory wards, Infectious diseases and Critical Care.
• Other areas should contact the duty Biochemist to discuss.

Interpretation:

Please refer to the Protocol for Procalcitonin (PCT) measurement and interpretation in Pneumonia

All results should be interpreted in the context of the clinical situation.

Other Comments:

For more information, please see the following: Procalcitonin (labtestsonline.org.uk)