Annals of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study
Risk prediction with procalcitonin and clinical rules in community-acquired pneumonia.
The Pneumonia Severity Index and CURB-65 predict outcomes in community-acquired pneumonia but have limitations. Procalcitonin, a biomarker of bacterial infection, may provide prognostic information in community-acquired pneumonia. Our objective is to describe the pattern of procalcitonin in community-acquired pneumonia and determine whether procalcitonin provides prognostic information beyond the Pneumonia Severity Index and CURB-65. ⋯ Selective use of procalcitonin as an adjunct to existing rules may offer additional prognostic information in high-risk patients.