Procalcitonin to Guide Antibiotic Therapy for Critically Ill Patients in Korea

Abstract

Unnecessary antibiotic use, as a consequence of sepsis over-diagnosis, is associated with increased length of stay, drug-related toxicities, Clostridioides difficile infection, antimicrobial resistance, and healthcare costs.1 However, the lack of a gold standard diagnostic test for sepsis has resulted in diagnostic dilemmas that clinicians are reluctant to withhold antibiotics when infection is suspected. Subsequent antibiotic de-escalation can be challenging because less than half of patients with sepsis never have a pathogen identified. Therefore, the use of novel biomarkers to improve the accuracy and early diagnosis of sepsis is an attractive strategy.