Predictive factors of bacterial meningitis in the patients seen in emergency departments. / Factores predictores de meningitis bacteriana en los pacientes atendidos en urgencias.

OBJETIVES: To analyse and compare predictive factors of bacterial meningitis in the patients seen in the Emergency Departments (ED) due to an episode of acute meningitis (AM). METHODS: A prospective, observational study was carried out in patients aged 15 years and older seen in ED due to AM between August 2009 and November 2015. Thirty-two variables for predicting bacterial meningitis were assessed. They covered epidemiological, comorbidity, clinical and analytical factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. RESULTS: The study included 154 patients. The diagnosis was bacterial meningitis in 53 (34.4%) patients. Four variables were significantly associated with bacterial aetiology: cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) lactate concentration ≥33mg/dl (odds ratio [OR] 50.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 21.63-119.47, P<.001), serum procalcitonin (PCT) ≥0.8ng/ml (OR 46.34; 95%CI: 19.71-108.89; P<.001), CSF glucose <60% of blood value (OR 20.82; 95%CI: 8.86-48.96; P=.001), CSF polymorphonuclears greater than 50% (OR 20.19; 95%CI: 8.31-49.09; P=.002]. The area under the curve for the model serum PCT≥0.8ng/ml plus CSF lactate ≥33mg/dl was 0.992 (95%CI: 0.979-1; P<.001), and achieved 99% sensitivity and 98% specificity for predicting bacterial meningitis. CONCLUSIONS: Serum PCT with CSF lactate, CSF glucose and CSF polymorphonuclears evaluated in an initial assessment in the ED for patients with AM, achieved an excellent diagnostic usefulness for predicting bacterial meningitis.

[Diagnostic usefulness of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in the Emergency Department for predicting bacterial meningitis in the elderly]. / Rendimiento diagnóstico de la procalcitonina y la proteína C reactiva para predecir meningitis bacteriana en los ancianos en urgencias.

OBJETIVES: To analyse and compare procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as tools for detecting bacterial meningitis (BM) in the elderly (>74 years of age). METHODS: A prospective, observational, descriptive, analytical study of 220 consecutive patients aged ≥1year and diagnosed with acute meningitis in an emergency department between September 2009 and July 2014. RESULTS: A total of 220 patients (136 [62%] male) were studied. The mean age was 30±26years, with BM being diagnosed in 17/83 patients from 1 to 14years of age, 32/111 from 15 to 74years of age, and 17/26 patients ≥75years of age. PCT had the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) (0.972; 95%CI, 0.946-0,998; P<.001) to predict bacterial meningitis. With a cut-off of ≥0.52ng/mL, PCT achieved 93% sensitivity and 86% specificity, and for patients over 75years of age 96% sensitivity and 75% specificity, with the same AUC (0.972). The AUC for CRP was 0.888, and a ≥54,4mg/L cut-off achieved 91% sensitivity and 78% specificity, and for patients over 75years of age an AUC of only 0.514 achieved with 97% sensitivity and 43% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: For all patients with acute meningitis in the emergency department, PCT has a high diagnostic power, outperforming CRP and Leukocytes for detection of bacterial etiology, but CPR is of not useful in the elderly.

Ability of procalcitonin to predict bacterial meningitis in the emergency department.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to analyse and compare procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as tools for detecting bacterial meningitis and predicting bacteraemia. METHODS: Prospective, observational, and descriptive analytical study of 98 consecutive patients aged ≥15 years and diagnosed with acute meningitis in an emergency department between August 2009 and July 2013. RESULTS: We analysed 98 patients with AM (66 males [67%]); mean age was 44±21 years. The diagnosis was bacterial meningitis in 38 patients (20 with bacteraemia); viral meningitis in 33; probable viral meningitis in 15; and presumptively diagnosed partially treated acute meningitis in 12. PCT had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC) (0.996; 95% CI, 0.987-1; p<0.001). With a cutoff of ≥ 0.74 ng/ml, PCT achieved 94.7% sensitivity, 100% specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) of 93.9%, and positive predictive value (PPV) of 100%. The mean levels for PCT were11.47±7.76 ng/ml in bacterial meningitis vs. 0.10±0.15 ng/ml in viral meningitis (p <0.001). The AUC for CRP was 0.916 and a cutoff of ≥ 90 mg/L achieved 67.5% sensitivity, 86.3% specificity, PPV of 89.2%, and NPV of 90.4%. As a predictor of bacteraemia in bacterial meningitis, only PCT delivered a significant difference (14.7±7.1 ng/mL vs. 4.68±3.54 ng/mL, p<0.001). A cutoff of ≥ 1.1 ng/mL achieved 94.6% sensitivity, 72.4% specificity, NPV of 95.4%, and PPV of 69.2%; the AUC was 0.965 (95% CI, 0.921-1; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: PCT has a high diagnostic power for acute meningitis in emergency department patients. PCT outperforms CRP in the detection of bacterial aetiology and is a good predictor of bacteraemia in bacterial meningitis.

[Usefulness of procalcitonin for diagnosing infection in critically ill patients with liver cirrhosis]. / Utilidad de la procalcitonina para el diagnóstico de infección en el paciente crítico con cirrosis hepatica.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) for diagnosing infection in patients with liver cirrhosis admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. DESIGN: A retrospective study was carried out. SCOPE: Intensive Care Unit. Versatile, twenty-four beds. Participants Patients with liver cirrhosis admitted to our Intensive Care Unit in the last four years with suspected infection and measurement of PCT. RESULTS: Among the 255 patients with cirrhosis admitted to our unit, PCT was determined for the differential diagnosis of infection in 69 cases (27%). Three patients were excluded from analysis due to a lack of clinical data. The average stay was 10.6 ± 9.2 days, with a mortality rate of 65%. The origin of cirrhosis was mainly viral (57%) or alcoholic (37%). The Child-Pugh and MELD scores were 9.5 ± 2 and 23 ± 8, respectively. Infection was diagnosed in 54 patients (82%). The most common infection was pneumonia (72%), followed by intraabdominal infections (18%) and bacteremia (5%). In patients without infection, the median PCT concentration was 0.57 ng/ml (range 0.28 to 1.14) versus 2.99 (1.31 to 9.4) in those with infection (p<.001). Diagnostic capacity was maintained in patients with intraabdominal infections. The diagnostic cutoff point was set at 0.8 ng/ml (sensitivity 83%, specificity 75%, AUC 0.82 [0.702-0.93]). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with liver cirrhosis, PCT is useful for identifying bacterial infections, including intraabdominal processes.

Validity of procalcitonin for the diagnosis of bacterial infection in elderly patients.

INTRODUCTION: PCT has been consolidated as a key tool in the diagnosis of bacterial infections in general population. Few studies have been conducted to determine the applicability of this test in elderly patients. METHODS: Study of validity of PCT on elderly patients. Two groups were formed; the first group was formed by patients aged 75 years or older, under bacterial infection criteria and PCT on the initial Lab test. The second group was formed by patients aged 75 years or older with any noninfectious disease; these patients were asked PCT in the initial Lab test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio were calculated. RESULTS: 161 patients were included, 95 with probable bacterial infection and 66 without infection. Patients with probable bacterial infection criteria, 72% of them had PCT >0.5 ng/mL. Patients without infection, 8% of the patients had PCT >0.5 ng/mL. Sensitivity and specificity of PCT to bacterial infection with the cutoff value of 0.5 ng/mL was 72% and 92%, respectively. CONCLUSION: PCT can be used in elderly patients to diagnose bacterial infections because it has proved good sensitivity and high specificity.

[Prognostic value of lipopolysaccharide binding protein and procalcitonin in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted to intensive care]. / Valor pronóstico de la proteína fijadora de lipopolisácaridos y la procalcitonina en pacientes con sepsis grave y shock séptico ingresados en una unidad de cuidados intensivos.

AIMS: 1) To assess the prognostic value of levels on admission and serial measurements of lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in relation to in-hospital mortality; and 2) to determine whether the addition of these parameters to severity scores (APACHE II and SOFA) is able to improve prognostic accuracy. DESIGN: A single-center, prospective observational study was carried out. SETTING: Intensive Care unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS: One hundred severe sepsis and septic shock patients were included. DATA COLLECTED: Demographic data, APACHE II and SOFA scores, PCT and LBP levels on admission and after 48 hours, and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: The best area under the curve for predicting in-hospital mortality corresponded to APACHE II on admission and SOFA after 48 h (AUC ROC: 0.75 for both). PCT and LBP levels on admission and LBP clearance were not statistically different between in-hospital survivors and non-survivors. Only PCT clearance was higher among in-hospital survivors than in non-survivors (AUC ROC: 0.66). The combination of severity scores and PCT clearance did not result in superior areas under the curve. CONCLUSIONS: LBP and PCT levels on admission and LBP clearance showed no prognostic value in severe sepsis and septic shock patients. Only PCT clearance was predictive of in-hospital mortality. The prognostic accuracy was significantly better for APACHE on admission and SOFA after 48 h than for any of the analyzed biomarkers, and the addition of PCT clearance did not improve their prognostic value.

[Predictive value of procalcitonin in children with suspected sepsis]. / Valor predictivo de la procalcitonina en niños con sospecha de sepsis.

INTRODUCTION: The use of biomarkers could be a tool for diagnosis, prognosis and stratifying children with sepsis. Our main goal was to analyze the value of procalcitonin (PCT), C reactive protein (CRP) and lactate in predicting mortality, septic shock and the stratification in children with suspected sepsis PATIENTS AND METHOD: Prospective study in 81 patients. Plasma levels of PCT, CRP and lactate were measured at admission in the pediatric intensive care unit. Patients were categorized into systemic inflammatory response syndrome, sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock. RESULTS: Concentrations of PCT (ng/mL) increased significantly according to the severity of sepsis: 0.36 (0-1.2) for systemic inflammatory response syndrome; 1.96 (0.4-3.5) for sepsis; 7.5 (3.9-11.1) for severe sepsis; and 58.9 (35.1-82.7) for septic shock (P<.001). Compared to CRP and lactate, the area under the ROC curve revealed a good discriminative power of PCT to predict septic shock and mortality, 0.91 (95% CI: 0.83-0.97) and 0.80 (95% CI: 0.69-0.88), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to CRP and lactate, the determination of PCT in pediatric intensive care unit admission is a good predictor of mortality and septic shock and can stratify patients according to severity of sepsis.

[Use of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as infection markers in febrile neutropenic patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant]. / Utilización de procalcitonina y proteína C reactiva como marcadores de infección en la neutropenia febril de pacientes sometidos a trasplante de progenitores hematopoyéticos.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Neutropenia is a frequent sign in patients who are going to have a haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Infection is an important complication in these patients, which is favoured by immunosuppression and the degree of neutropenia. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in onco-haematological patients undergoing chemotherapy and HSCT to determine the origin of the fever. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PCT and CRP values were measured in 30 episodes of febrile neutropenia: before starting chemotherapy, appearance of neutropenia, onset of fever, days 1, 2, 3 and 6 after the onset of fever, and when the febrile episode ended. The episodes were classified as 5 bacteraemia, 3 microbiologically documented infections, 10 clinical infections, and 12 fevers of unknown origin. RESULTS: The highest PCT mean values corresponded to the group of patients with bacteraemia. Statistically significant differences (P=.04) were found on the second day after the onset of fever. The cut-off point of 0.5ng/ml showed a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 75%. PCR results showed statistically significant differences on days 1, 2 and 3 after the onset of fever (P=.01, P=.003, and P=.002, respectively). The cut-off point of 7.5mg/L had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 58%. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of PCT and CRP is an insufficient method to detect bacterial infections and may not replace the proper clinical and microbiological diagnosis.

[Usefulness of inflammation and infection biomarkers in the Emergency Department]. / Utilidad de los biomarcadores de inflamación e infección en los servicios de urgencias.

Infectious processes account for 10% of patient seen in the emergency department. To administer antibiotics early, and before any other therapeutic-diagnostic decisions (complementary tests, microbiological samples, intensity of hemodynamic support, need for admission, etc.) have direct repercussions on the survival of patients with severe bacterial infections (bacteremia, severe sepsis or septic shock). In this context, the emergency department represents a critical level where the suspicion of infection and it diagnosis is made and treatment is started, and the progression and prognosis will be determined by the speed of this action. However, the clinical manifestations of infectious diseases are often non-specific and variable which makes early recognition of these patients and situations difficult. Inflammation and infection biomarkers have been around for years as helpful tools for improving emergency medical diagnoses and management of infection in the emergency department. The aim of this review is to summarize the published scientific evidence, in order to clarify the existing controversies, comparing the usefulness of the major biomarkers of inflammation and infection. It will alas suggest recommendations for their use in order to improve diagnosis, prognostic evaluation and management of infected patients in the emergency department.

[Diagnostic and prognostic power of biomarkers to improve the management of community acquired pneumonia in the emergency department]. / Poder diagnóstico y pronóstico de los biomarcadores para mejorar el manejo de la neumonía adquirida en la comunidad en los servicios de urgencias.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the usefulness and performance of several biomarkers [C-reactive protein (CRP), mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM), procalcitonin (PCT)] and lactate in predicting short- and medium-term mortality compared with the prognostic severity scales (PSS) usually employed for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and in assessing the aetiological suspicion of infection by Streptococcus pneumoniae and bacteraemia. METHODS: Observational, prospective and analytical study was conducted on patients who were diagnosed with CAP in our emergency department (ED). The data collected included socio-demographic and comorbidity variables, Charlson index, priority level according to the Spanish Triage System (STS), stage in the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) and in the CURB-65 (confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure and age ≥65years), criteria of severe CAP, microbiological studies, and biomarkers determinations. The patients were followed-up for 180days to calculate the prognostic power and the diagnostic performance for bacteraemia and aetiology. RESULTS: A total of 127patients were finally enrolled in the study. The 30-day mortality was 10.3% (13), and 22.6% (28) at 180 days. Blood cultures were positive in 29 patients (23%) and S.pneumoniae was identified as the responsible pathogen in 28 cases (22.2%). The area under the ROC curve (AUC-ROC) for lactate and MR-proADM to predict 30-day mortality was 0.898 (95%CI: 0.824-0.973; P<.0001) and 0.892 (95%CI: 0.811-0.974; P<.0001), respectively, and for MR-proADM at 180 days it was 0.921 (95%CI: 0.874-0.968; P<.0001). The AUC-ROC for PCT to predict bacteraemia was 0.952 (95%CI: 0.898-1.000; P<.0001) and, considering a cut-off value ≥0.95ng/ml, the negative predictive value (NPV) and the likelihood ratio (LR+) were 97.8% and 9.03, respectively. Using a PCT cut-off value >0.85ng/ml, the NPV and the LR+ were 96.6% and 5.89%, respectively, to predict a S.pneumoniae infection. CONCLUSIONS: MR-proADM and lactate showed a similar or even better performance for 30-day intra-hospital mortality than PSI, CURB-65, STS and CAP severity criteria in patients diagnosed with CAP (P>.05). Furthermore, the MR-proADM capacity to predict 180-day mortality was higher than PSS and the rest of biomarkers (P>.05), and its AUC-ROC increased if it was used in combination with PSI, CURB65 and STS. The determination of PCT has a remarkable diagnostic performance to rule out bacteraemia and to orientate the aetiology towards a S.pneumoniae infection.

[Role of plasma procalcitonin in the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia: systematic review and metaanalysis]. / Papel de la procalcitonina plasmática en el diagnóstico de la neumonía asociada a ventilación mecánica: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of plasma procalcitonin (PCT) levels in diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia. DESIGN: A systematic review of publications prospectively assessing the diagnostic role of PCT in ventilator-associated pneumonia was carried out. The search was performed using Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Collaboration and MEDION, with reviewing of the references of retrieved articles. We extracted data that allowed the calculation of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and diagnostic odds ratio. Intervention Metaregression was performed to determine whether exposure to previous antibiotic treatment, the time to occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia and the type of patients had an impact upon the diagnostic performance of procalcitonin. RESULTS: Seven studies were considered (373 patients, 434 episodes). We found no publication bias or threshold effect. High plasma PCT levels were associated to an increased risk of suffering ventilator-associated pneumonia (OR: 8.39; 95% CI: 5.4-12.6). The pooled data on sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio found were 76% (69-82), 79% (74-84), 4.35 (2.48-7.62), 0.26 (0.15-0.46) and 17.9 (10.1-31.7), respectively. Diagnostic yield was modified by prior exposure to antibiotics (rDOR 0.11, 0.02-0.069), but not by the type of critically ill patient or the time to occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that PCT provides additional information on the risk of VAP. Inclusion of PCT in diagnostic algorithms could improve their effectiveness.

[Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein as early indicators of postoperative intra-abdominal infection after surgery for gastrointestinal cancer]. / Procalcitonina y proteína C reactiva como marcadores precoces de infección intraabdominal postoperatoria en pacientes operados de cáncer gastrointestinal.

AIM: to evaluate the association between serum levels of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein, on the first 3 postoperative days, and the appearance of postoperative intra-abdominal infection. METHOD: Prospective observational study including 67 patients operated on for colo-rectal, gastric and pancreatic cancer. Serum levels of procalcitonin and C-reactive protein were analyzed before surgery and daily until the third postoperative day. Values of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were recorded as well as their accuracy for detection of postoperative intra-abdominal infection (PIAI). RESULTS: The incidence of postoperative intra-abdominal infection was 13.4%. CRP serum levels at 72h, PCT serum levels at 24, 48 and 72h and the ratio between serum levels of CRP at 72hours and serum levels of CRP at 48hours (CRP D3/CRP D2) were significantly associated with the appearance of postoperative intra-abdominal infection. The highest sensitivity corresponded to PCT at 72hours (88.9%); the highest specificity and positive predictive value corresponded to the ratio CRP D3/CRP D2 (96.49% and 71.4%, respectively); the highest negative predictive value to procalcitonin at 72h and 24h. CONCLUSIONS: Serum levels of PCT are significantly associated with the appearance of postoperative intra-abdominal infection. Sensitivity and predictive positive values are low, but negative predictive value is high, even at 24h after surgery.

Diagnostic accuracy of procalcitonin for bacterial infection in the Emergency Department: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The care of patients with a suspected infectious process in hospital emergency departments (ED) accounts for 15%-35% of all daily care in these healthcare areas in Spain and Latin America. The early and adequate administration of antibiotic treatment (AB) and the immediate making of other diagnostic-therapeutic decisions have a direct impact on the survival of patients with severe bacterial infection. The main objective of this systematic review is to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of PCT to predict bacterial infection in adult patients treated with clinical suspicion of infection in the ED, as well as to analyze whether the different studies manage to identify a specific value of PCT as the most relevant from the diagnostic point of view of clinical decision that can be recommended for decision making in ED. METHOD: A systematic review is carried out following the PRISMA regulations in the database of PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Lilacs, Cochrane, Epistemonikos, Tripdatabase and ClinicalTrials.gov from January 2005 to May 31, 2023 without language restriction and using a combination of MESH terms: "Procalcitonin", "Infection/Bacterial Infection/Sepsis", "Emergencies/Emergency/Emergency Department", "Adults" and "Diagnostic". Observational cohort studies (diagnostic performance analyses) were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the method used and the risk of bias of the included articles. Observational cohort studies were included. No meta-analysis techniques were performed, but results were compared narratively. RESULTS: A total of 1,323 articles were identified, of which 21 that met the inclusion criteria were finally analyzed. The studies include 10,333 patients with 4,856 bacterial infections (47%). Eight studies were rated as high, 9 as moderate, and 4 as low. The AUC-ROC of all studies ranges from 0.68 (95% CI: 0.61-0.72) to 0.99 (95% CI: 0.98-1). The value of PCT 0.2-0.3 ng/ml is the most used and proposed in up to twelve of the works included in this review whose average estimated performance is an AUC-ROC of 0.79. If only the results of the 5 high-quality studies using a cut-off point of 0.2-0.3 ng/ml PCT are taken into account, the estimated mean AUC-COR result is 0.78 with Se:69 % and Es:76%. CONCLUSIONS: PCT has considerable diagnostic accuracy for bacterial infection in patients treated in ED for different infectious processes. The cut-off point of 0.25 (0.2-0.3) ng/ml has been positioned as the most appropriate to predict the existence of bacterial infection and can be used to help reasonably rule it out.

Mortality prediction model from combined serial lactate, procalcitonin and calprotectin levels in critically ill patients with sepsis: A retrospective study according to Sepsis-3 definition.

OBJECTIVE: 1) To evaluate the ability of baseline and on 24 h serum calprotectin, in comparison to canonical biomarkers (lactate and procalcitonin), for prognosis of 28-day mortality in critically ill septic patients; and 2) To develop a predictive model combining the three biomarkers. DESIGN: A single-center, retrospective study. SETTING: Intensive Care Unit of a university hospital. PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and seventy three septic pacientes were included. INTERVENTIONS: Measurement of baseline lactate, procalcitonin and calprotectin level and procalcitonin and calprotectin levels on 24 h. MAIN VARIABLES OF INTEREST: Demographics and comorbidities, SOFA score on ICU admission, baseline lactate, procalcitonin and calprotectin on admission and on 24 h and 28-day mortality. RESULTS: 1) On ICU admission, lactate was the only biomarker achieving a significant accuracy (AUC: 0.698); 2) On 24 h, no differences were found on procalcitonin and calprotectin levels. Procalcitonin and calprotectin clearances were significantly lower in non-survivors and both achieved a moderate performance (AUCs: 0.668 and 0.664, respectively); 3) A biomarker based-model achieved a significant accuracy (AUC: 0.766), trending to increase (AUC: 0.829) to SOFA score alone; y 4) Baseline lactate levels and procalcitonin and calprotectin clearance were independent predictors for the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Baseline and on 24 h calprotectina and procalcitonin levels lacked ability in predicting 28-day mortality; 2) Accuracy of clearance of both biomarkers was moderate; and 3) Combination of SOFA score and the predictive biomarker based-model showed a high prognostic accuracy.

Models to predict bacteremia in the emergency department: a systematic review. / Modelos predictivos de bacteriemia en el servicio de urgencias: revisión sistemática.

OBJECTIVES: Blood cultures are ordered in emergency departments for 15% of patients with suspected infection. The diagnostic yield varies from 2% to 20%. Thirty-day mortality in patients with bacteremia is high, doubling or tripling the rate in patients with the same infection but without bacteremia. Thus, finding an effective model to predict bacteremia that is applicable in emergency departments is an important goal. Shapiro's model is the one traditionally used as a reference internationally. The aim of this systematic review was to compare the predictive power of bacteremia risk models published since 2008, when Shapiro's model first appeared. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We followed the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, searching in the following databases for articles published between January 2008 and May 31, 2023: PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Lilacs, Cochrane, Epistemonikos, Trip Medical Database, and ClinicalTrials.gov. No language restrictions were specified. The search terms were the following Medical Subject Headings: bacteremia/bacteraemia/blood stream infection, prediction model/clinical prediction rule/risk prediction model, emergencies/emergency/emergency department, and adults. Observational cohort studies analyzing diagnostic yield were included; case-control studies, narrative reviews, and other types of articles were excluded. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to score quality and risk of bias in the included studies. The results were compared descriptively, without meta-analysis. The protocol was included in the PROSPERO register (CRD42023426327). RESULTS: Twenty studies out of a total of 917 were found to meet the inclusion criteria. The included studies together analyzed 33 182 blood cultures, which detected 5074 cases of bacteremia (15.3%). Eleven studies were of high quality, 7 of moderate quality, and 2 of low quality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of Shapiro's model varied from 0.71 to 0.83. Sensitivity was as high as 98%, and specificity ranged from 26% to 69%. Three models with high scores for quality were also supported by both internal and external validation studies: Lee's model (AUC, 0.81; sensitivity 68%; specificity, 81%), the 5MPB-Toledo model (AUC, 0.906 to 0.946), and the MPB-INFURG-SEMES model (AUC, 0.924; sensitivity, 97%; specificity, 76%. CONCLUSION: The 5MPB-Toledo and MPB-INFURG-SEMES are useful for assessing the true risk of bacteremia in patients attended in emergency departments.

OBJETIVO: La obtención de hemocultivos (HC) se realiza en el 15% de los pacientes atendidos con sospecha de infección en los servicios de urgencias (SU) con una rentabilidad diagnóstica variable (2-20%). La mortalidad a 30 días de estos pacientes con bacteriemia es elevada, doble o triple que el resto con el mismo proceso. Así, encontrar un modelo predictivo de bacteriemia eficaz y aplicable en los SU sería muy importante. Clásicamente, el modelo de Shapiro ha sido la referencia en todo el mundo. El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática (RS) es comparar la capacidad para predecir bacteriemia en los SU de los distintos modelos predictivos publicados desde el año 2008 (fecha de publicación del modelo de Shapiro). METODO: Se realiza una RS siguiendo la normativa PRISMA en las bases de datos de PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Lilacs, Cochrane, Epistemonikos, Tripdatabase y ClinicalTrials.gov desde enero de 2008 hasta 31 mayo 2023 sin restricción de idiomas y utilizando una combinación de términos MESH: "Bacteremia/Bacteraemia/Blood Stream Infection", "Prediction Model/Clinical Prediction Rule/Risk Prediction Model", "Emergencies/Emergency/Emergency Department" y "Adults". Se incluyeron estudios de cohortes observacionales (analíticos de rendimiento diagnóstico). Para valorar la calidad del método empleado y el riesgo de sesgos de los artículos incluidos se utilizó la Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). No se incluyeron estudios de casos y controles, revisiones narrativas y en otros tipos de artículos. No se realizaron técnicas de metanálisis, pero los resultados se compararon narrativamente. El protocolo de la RS se registró en PROSPERO (CRD42023426327). RESULTADOS: Se identificaron 917 artículos y se analizaron finalmente 20 que cumplían los criterios de inclusión. Los estudios incluidos contienen 33.182 HC procesados con 5.074 bacteriemias (15,3%). Once estudios fueron calificados de calidad alta, 7 moderada y 2 baja. El ABC-COR conseguida por el modelo de Shapiro varía de 0,71 a 0,83, con sensibilidad (Se) hasta del 98%, con especificidad (Es) (26% a 69%). Para los tres modelos que tienen validación interna y externa y una buena calidad metodológica, el modelo de Lee consigue un ABC-COR de 0,81 con Se: 68% y Es: 81%, el modelo 5MPB-Toledo consigue un ABC-COR entre 0,91 y 0,95, y el MPB-INFURG-SEMES obtiene una ABC-COR de 0,92 con una Se: 97% y Es: 76%. CONCLUSIONES: Los modelos 5MPB-Toledo y MPB-INFURG-SEMES representan herramientas útiles para la estratificación del riesgo real de bacteriemia en los pacientes atendidos en los SU.

Predictive value of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and interleukin-6 on 30-day mortality in patients with bloodstream infections.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the predictive performance of C-reactive protein (hsCRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) at different times points of bloodstream infections (BSI) management. METHODS: The cases were collected from January 2020 to June 2021 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University (n=185). We collected patients' records of hsCRP, PCT, and IL-6 serum levels and calculated the clearance of these biomarkers on day 1, day 3, and day 5 (hsCRP-1, hsCRP-3, hsCRP-5, so do PCT, and IL-6). We analyzed these predictive performances for 30-day mortality with ROC and Logistic regression. The correlation between biomarkers and their clearance rates was performed by a rank correlation method. RESULTS: The 30-day mortality was 11.35% (21/185). Serial serum hsCRP-3, IL-6-3, PCT-1, PCT-3, and PCT-5 were statistically higher in BSI mortality than survivors. Significant predictive ability was found for 30-day mortality with blood culture (BC) reported fungi (OR, 0.033; 95% CI: 0.002-0.535) and PCT-5 (OR, 1.045; 95% CI: 1.013-1.078) levels, respectively. The AUC of PCT-5 levels for 30-day mortality was 0.784 (95% CI 0.678-0.949), and the cut-off value was 5.455ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS: PCT-5 is more valuable for the prognosis of 30-day mortality in patients with BSI compared to the other inflammatory biomarkers.

Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein: markers in the early diagnosis of anastomotic leak.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of serum procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in the early diagnosis of anastomotic leak (AL) in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. METHOD: Diagnostic test in a tertiary care hospital. Patients who did not have preoperative measurements of PCT and CRP were excluded. Those with postoperative infection not related to AL were eliminated. The diagnostic efficacy measures were sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values, positive (LR+) and negative (LR-) likelihood ratios, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were analyzed; six had AL (15.4%). PCT and CRP increased on the second postoperative day, only in patients with AL. The cut-off points at the second postoperative day were 1.55 ng/mL for PCT and 11.25 mg/L for CRP. The most efficacious test was PCR at second postoperative day (AUROC: 1.00; Sn: 100%; Sp: 96.7%; PPV: 85.7%; NPV: 100%; LR+: 33.0). CONCLUSIONS: CRP at second postoperative day was the most effective test in the early diagnosis of AL in patients undergoing colorectal surgery, with a cut-off point lower than that reported in the international literature.

OBJETIVO: Determinar la eficacia de la procalcitonina (PCT) y la proteína C reactiva (PCR) séricas en el diagnóstico de fuga anastomótica (FA) en los pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal. MÉTODO: Prueba diagnóstica en un hospital de tercer nivel. Se excluyeron los pacientes que no tuvieron mediciones preoperatorias de PCT y PCR. Se eliminaron los que cursaron con infección posoperatoria no relacionada con FA. Las medidas de eficacia diagnóstica fueron sensibilidad (S), especificidad (E), valores predictivos positivo (VPP) y negativo (VPN), razones de verosimilitud positiva (RV+) y negativa (RV−), y área bajo la curva característica operativa del receptor (AUROC). RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 39 pacientes, de los cuales 6 (15.4%) tuvieron FA. La PCT y la PCR aumentaron al segundo día posoperatorio solo en los pacientes con FA. Los puntos de corte al día 2 fueron 1.55 ng/ml para PCT y 11.25 mg/l para PCR. La prueba más eficaz fue la PCR al día 2 (AUROC: 1.00; S: 100%; E: 96.7%; VPP: 85.7%; VPN: 100%; RV+: 33.0). CONCLUSIONES: La PCR en el segundo día posoperatorio fue la prueba más eficaz en el diagnóstico temprano de FA en los pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal, con un punto de corte inferior a lo reportado en la literatura internacional.

The Guadalajara Declaration on sepsis: emergency physicians' constructive comments on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign's 2021 updated guidelines. / Declaración de Guadalajara: una visión constructiva desde el servicio de urgencias a partir de la Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021.

TEXT: The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) published a 2021 update of its 2016 recommendations. The update was awaited with great anticipation the world over, especially by emergency physicians. Under the framework of the CIMU 2022 (33rd World Emergency Medicine Conference) in Guadalajara, Mexico in March, emergency physiciansreviewed and analyzed the 2021 SSC guidelines from our specialty's point of view. In this article, the expert reviewers present their consensus on certain key points of most interest in emergency settings at this time. The main aims of the review are to present constructive comments on 10 key points and/or recommendations in the SSC 2021 update and to offer emergency physicians' experience- and evidence-based proposals. Secondarily, the review's recommendations are a starting point for guidelines to detect severe sepsis in emergency department patients and prevent progression, which is ultimate goal of what has become known as the Guadalajara Declaration on sepsis.

TEXTO: En noviembre del año 2021, la Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) publicó una actualización de sus recomendaciones y directrices de 2016. Estas fueron recibidas con una enorme expectativa en todo el mundo, especialmente entre los médicos de urgencias y emergencias (MUE). Recientemente, en el marco del CIMU 2022 (33 Congreso Mundial de Medicina de Urgencias celebrado en marzo de 2022 en Guadalajara ­ México) se ha revisado y analizado, desde la perspectiva del MUE, la Guía SSC de 2021. Los expertos que realizaron esa tarea y también consensuaron algunos de los puntos clave que más interesan y preocupan a los MUE en la actualidad han elaborado este documento. Su objetivo principal es analizar de forma constructiva diez de los puntos clave y recomendaciones de la SSC 2021 para complementarlas con argumentos y propuestas desde la experiencia, evidencia y perspectiva del urgenciólogo. Además, de forma secundaria, pretende ser el punto de partida de la elaboración de las guías para detectar, prevenir la progresión y atender a los pacientes con infección grave y sepsis en urgencias, que supone la meta final de lo que desde la MUE ya se conoce como "la Declaración de Guadalajara".

Procalcitonina y proteína C reactiva séricas como biomarcadores predictivos de dehiscencia de anastomosis intestinal en cirugía colorrectal.

BACKGROUND: There has been recent interest in the seric levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and C reactive protein (PCR) as a marker of intraabdominal infection after a colorrectal surgery, however, the actual literature remains inconclusive. OBJECTIVE: To test if C-Reactive Protein (PCR) and procalcitonin (PCT) as predictive factors of anastomotic leak after colorectal surgery. METHOD: Retrospective cohort, of patients with ileostomy or colostomy who had intestinal transit restitution by general surgeons in our center, from march 2018 to march 2020. RESULTS: We registered 4 (36.4%) anastomotic leaks. We compared median PCR and PCT between group 1 (without anastomotic leak) and group 2 (with anastomotic leak). Median PCT3PO was 4.86 ng/ml in group 1 vs 13.7 ng/ml in group 2, and PCT5PO was 1.3071 ng/ml vs 6.74 ng/ml (DS: 5.04 vs. 11.53 and 0.779 vs. 10.44). Median PCR3PO and PCR5PO was 194.7 mg/l in group 1 vs 100.97 mg/l in group 2, and 159.8 mg/l vs 65.67 mg/l, (DS: 88.78 vs. 82.01 and 94.77 vs. 58.009). CONCLUSIONS: Persistent higher levels of seric PCR and PCT at 3rd and 5th postoperative day could be an anastomotic leackage. This biomarkers might be added as additional criteria of discharge.

ANTECEDENTES: La medición sérica de procalcitonina (PCT) y proteína C reactiva (PCR) como marcadores de infección intraabdominal posterior a la cirugía colorrectal ha tomado interés en los recientes años, sin embargo, la literatura que existe en la actualidad no es concluyente. OBJETIVO: Evaluar los biomarcadores séricos de inflamación procalcitonina (PCT) y proteína C reactiva (PCR) como factores predictores para dehiscencia de anastomosis (DA) en cirugía colorrectal. MÉTODO: Cohorte retrospectiva de pacientes con cirugía abdominal, con ileostomía o colostomía, que fueron protocolizados para restitución del tránsito intestinal por el departamento de cirugía general en un hospital de tercer nivel, de marzo de 2018 a marzo de 2020. RESULTADOS: La DA ocurrió en 4 (36.4%) de 11 pacientes. Se comparó la media de dos grupos: el grupo 1 sin DA frente al grupo 2 que presentaron DA. Las concentraciones séricas de PCT3PO fueron de 4.86 ng/ml en el grupo 1 y 13.7 ng/ml en el grupo 2, y las de PCT5PO fueron de 1.3071 ng/ml y 6.74 ng/ml, respectivamente (desviación estándar [DE]: 5.04 vs. 11.53 y 0.779 vs. 10.44). Las concentraciones séricas de PCR3PO fueron de 194.7 mg/l en el grupo 1 y 100.97 mg/l en el grupo 2, y las de PCR5PO fueron de 159.8 mg/l y 65.67 mg/l, respectivamente (DE: 88.78 vs. 82.01 y 94.77 vs. 58.009). CONCLUSIONES: La persistencia de valores elevados den PCR y PCT séricas al tercer y quinto día posoperatorios pudieran demostrar DA. Estos marcadores podrían agregarse como criterio de egreso.