Review
Pro/Con debate: Is procalcitonin useful for guiding antibiotic decision making in critically ill patients?
-
* Corresponding author: Yahya Shehabi y.shehabi@unsw.edu.au
1 Acute Care Clinical Program, Intensive Care and Research, Prince of Wales Hospital, University of New South Wales, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
2 Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Nepean Hospital, University of Sydney, Derby Street, Penrith, NSW 2751, Australia
Critical Care 2008, 12:211 doi:10.1186/cc6860
Published: 2 May 2008Abstract
You are concerned about the escalating use of antibiotics in your intensive care unit (ICU). This has put a strain on the ICU budget and is possibly resulting in the emergence of resistant bacteria. You review the situation with your team and one suggestion is to consider using biomarkers such as procalcitonin to better guide appropriate antibiotic decision making.