Abstract            Volume:6  Issue-3  Year-2018         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

The utility of procalcitonin as a diagnostic marker of sepsis has been studied widely. However, there is limited literature on the role of procalcitonin as a prognostic marker in sepsis. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of procalcitonin in predicting mortality in patients of sepsis and to compare it with C-reactive protein. A total of 250 children aged 2 months to 5 years and clinically suspected of sepsis admitted in the paediatric emergency ward of a tertiary care hospital in North India were enrolled in the study. Blood sample was collected at the of admission for performing blood culture by conventional method and for estimation of serum procalcitonin and C-reactive protein by a fluorescence based immunoassay. Each patient was followed for a period of 30 days. Procalcitonin was found to be a better predictor of mortality than C-reactive protein in patients of sepsis. There was a significant difference in mean PCT value in patients who died during hospital stay and those who survived (p<0.0001). Patients who expired had mean PCT value 15 times that of patients who survived (mean= 72.78 ng/ml vs 5.43 ng/ml in survivors). The mean CRP level was higher in patients who died during hospital stay (mean= 68.22 mg/l vs 3.37 mg/l in survivors) but the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.018). Hence, the study showed that CRP is not a good predictor of mortality in children with sepsis. A high level of procalctionin in patients of sepsis at the time of admission is a predictor of high risk of mortality and hence must be taken as a warning sign to provide necessary treatment to the patient.

Download this article as