Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Procalcitonin (PCT) has been widely investigated for its prognostic value in septic patients. However, studies have produced conflicting results. The purpose of the present meta-analysis is to explore the diagnostic accuracy of a single PCT concentration and PCT non-clearance in predicting all-cause...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dan Liu, Longxiang Su, Gencheng Han, Peng Yan, Lixin Xie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129450
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849320732185591808
author Dan Liu
Longxiang Su
Gencheng Han
Peng Yan
Lixin Xie
author_facet Dan Liu
Longxiang Su
Gencheng Han
Peng Yan
Lixin Xie
author_sort Dan Liu
collection DOAJ
description Procalcitonin (PCT) has been widely investigated for its prognostic value in septic patients. However, studies have produced conflicting results. The purpose of the present meta-analysis is to explore the diagnostic accuracy of a single PCT concentration and PCT non-clearance in predicting all-cause sepsis mortality. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge and the Cochrane Library. Articles written in English were included. A 2 × 2 contingency table was constructed based on all-cause mortality and PCT level or PCT non-clearance in septic patients. Two authors independently evaluated study eligibility and extracted data. The diagnostic value of PCT in predicting prognosis was determined using a bivariate meta-analysis model. We used the Q-test and I2 index to test heterogeneity. Twenty-three studies with 3,994 patients were included. An elevated PCT level was associated with a higher risk of death. The pooled relative risk (RR) was 2.60 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.05-3.30) using a random-effects model (I(2) = 63.5%). The overall area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.73-0.80), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.67-0.82) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.52-0.74), respectively. There was significant evidence of heterogeneity for the PCT testing time (P = 0.020). Initial PCT values were of limited prognostic value in patients with sepsis. PCT non-clearance was a prognostic factor of death in patients with sepsis. The pooled RR was 3.05 (95% CI, 2.35-3.95) using a fixed-effects model (I(2) = 37.9%). The overall area under the SROC curve was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.75-0.83), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.58-0.82) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.55-0.90), respectively. Elevated PCT concentrations and PCT non-clearance are strongly associated with all-cause mortality in septic patients. Further studies are needed to define the optimal cut-off point and the optimal definition of PCT non-clearance for accurate risk assessment.
format Article
id doaj-art-50aafaa5189643ac89f00eb6147dcdc4
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2015-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-50aafaa5189643ac89f00eb6147dcdc42025-08-20T03:50:00ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01106e012945010.1371/journal.pone.0129450Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Dan LiuLongxiang SuGencheng HanPeng YanLixin XieProcalcitonin (PCT) has been widely investigated for its prognostic value in septic patients. However, studies have produced conflicting results. The purpose of the present meta-analysis is to explore the diagnostic accuracy of a single PCT concentration and PCT non-clearance in predicting all-cause sepsis mortality. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Knowledge and the Cochrane Library. Articles written in English were included. A 2 × 2 contingency table was constructed based on all-cause mortality and PCT level or PCT non-clearance in septic patients. Two authors independently evaluated study eligibility and extracted data. The diagnostic value of PCT in predicting prognosis was determined using a bivariate meta-analysis model. We used the Q-test and I2 index to test heterogeneity. Twenty-three studies with 3,994 patients were included. An elevated PCT level was associated with a higher risk of death. The pooled relative risk (RR) was 2.60 (95% confidence interval (CI), 2.05-3.30) using a random-effects model (I(2) = 63.5%). The overall area under the summary receiver operator characteristic (SROC) curve was 0.77 (95% CI, 0.73-0.80), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.76 (95% CI, 0.67-0.82) and 0.64 (95% CI, 0.52-0.74), respectively. There was significant evidence of heterogeneity for the PCT testing time (P = 0.020). Initial PCT values were of limited prognostic value in patients with sepsis. PCT non-clearance was a prognostic factor of death in patients with sepsis. The pooled RR was 3.05 (95% CI, 2.35-3.95) using a fixed-effects model (I(2) = 37.9%). The overall area under the SROC curve was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.75-0.83), with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.58-0.82) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.55-0.90), respectively. Elevated PCT concentrations and PCT non-clearance are strongly associated with all-cause mortality in septic patients. Further studies are needed to define the optimal cut-off point and the optimal definition of PCT non-clearance for accurate risk assessment.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129450
spellingShingle Dan Liu
Longxiang Su
Gencheng Han
Peng Yan
Lixin Xie
Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
PLoS ONE
title Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_full Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_fullStr Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_full_unstemmed Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_short Prognostic Value of Procalcitonin in Adult Patients with Sepsis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
title_sort prognostic value of procalcitonin in adult patients with sepsis a systematic review and meta analysis
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129450
work_keys_str_mv AT danliu prognosticvalueofprocalcitonininadultpatientswithsepsisasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT longxiangsu prognosticvalueofprocalcitonininadultpatientswithsepsisasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT genchenghan prognosticvalueofprocalcitonininadultpatientswithsepsisasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT pengyan prognosticvalueofprocalcitonininadultpatientswithsepsisasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT lixinxie prognosticvalueofprocalcitonininadultpatientswithsepsisasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis