Significant determinants of plasma procalcitonin concentrations in adult patients hospitalized in intensive care units with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia.

OBJECTIVES

To explore factors significantly associated with plasma procalcitonin (PCT) concentration elevation among patients with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia.

METHODS

Sepsis patients hospitalized in intensive care units between 2020 and 2024 were eligible for this study. Their demographic characteristics, comorbidities, development of shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation, key laboratory data-including plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCT concentrations-sonographic and radiographic findings, and septic workup results were collected. To determine the median PCT level, patients with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia were stratified into two equal groups.

RESULTS

Patients with bacteremia secondary to biliary tract infection (n = 24), urinary tract infection (UTI; n = 118), and primary source (n = 71), showed high proportions of Enterobacterales species as causative etiologies. A total of 358 patients with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia were included in the final analysis. Patients with plasma PCT concentrations above the median value (20.2 ng/mL) did not exhibit higher mortality rates compared to those with concentrations below the median. Additionally, diabetes mellitus, UTI associated with hydronephrosis, and shock development were identified as independent predictors for markedly elevated plasma PCT concentrations among patients with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia (odds ratio [OR], 1.66, 3.83, and 2.09; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.02-2.70, 1.64-8.93, and 1.25-3.50; P values, 0.043, 0.002, and 0.005, respectively). In contrast, the presence of Child-Pugh class C liver cirrhosis was a negative predictor of high plasma PCT concentrations (OR 0.35, 95 % CI 0.11-0.97, and P = 0.049).

CONCLUSIONS

This study recognized factors with significant impact on plasma PCT concentrations among patients with monomicrobial Gram-negative bacteremia.