Annals of surgery
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Early assessment of pancreatic infections and overall prognosis in severe acute pancreatitis by procalcitonin (PCT): a prospective international multicenter study.
Pancreatic infections and sepsis are major complications in severe acute pancreatitis (AP) with significant impact on management and outcome. We investigated the value of Procalcitonin (PCT) for identifying patients at risk to develop pancreatic infections in severe AP. ⋯ Monitoring of PCT allows early and reliable assessment of clinically relevant pancreatic infections and overall prognosis in AP. This single test parameter significantly contributes to an improved stratification of patients at risk to develop major complications.