Loading...
Previous meta-analyses showed that procalcitonin-guided antimicrobial management, compared with standard care, resulted in less overall antibiotic exposure in intensive care unit (ICU) patients; however, differences in mortality or length of stay were not detected (NEJM JW Hosp Med Oct 2011 and Crit Care Med 2011; 39:1792). In a new meta-analysis, researchers evaluated data from 15 randomized, controlled trials (>6000 intensive care unit [ICU] patients, and including 2 large recent trials that were not available in previous meta-analyses) that used procalcitonin as a marker of new or ongoing bacterial infection. Procalcitonin-guided strategies used in the trials were categorized into phases of antimicrobial use: initiation, cessation, or mi…