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Table 2 Principal characteristics of the randomized controlled trials assessing the role of PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship in adult critically ill patients

From: Biomarker-guided antibiotic therapy in adult critically ill patients: a critical review

Ā 

Trial

Sample size

Rate of exclusion (%)

Infections Community/nosocomial

Pneumonia

PCT assay

Minimum duration AB therapy

Decision to start antibiotics (no AB), PCT/control

Duration of antibiotic therapy, PCT/control, days

Overruling PCT algorithm (%)

LOS ICU, PCT/control, days

Superinfection, PCT/control, N(%)

Relapse, PCT/control, N(%)

Mortality 28d, PCT/control, N(%)

Mortality 60d, PCT/control, N(%)

Svoboda, 2007 [43]

Ā 

72

381 (84)

0/72

NA

PCT-Q

Ā Ā Ā Ā 

16.1 Ā± 6.9/19.4 Ā± 8.9

Ā Ā 

10/38 (26 %)/13/34 (38 %)

Ā 

Nobre, 2008 [41]

ProSEP

79

203 (72)

53/26

52

TRACE

Ā Ā 

8 (4ā€“27)/14 (6ā€“39)

19

4 (1ā€“21)/7 (1ā€“91)

7/31 (22.5 %)/11/37 (29.7 %)

1/39 (2.6 %)/1/40 (2.5 %)

8/39 (20.5 %)/8/40 (20 %)

Ā 

Schroeder, 2009 [44]

Ā 

27

98 (78)

0/27

8

PCT LIA

yes

Ā 

6.6 Ā± 1.1/8.3 Ā± 0.7

Ā 

16.4 Ā± 8.3/16.7 Ā± 5.6

Ā Ā 

3/14 (21.4 %)/3/13 (23.1 %)

Ā 

Stolz, 2009 [45]

ProVAP

101

63 (38)

0/101

101

TRACE

yes

Ā 

10 (6ā€“16)/15 (10ā€“23)

16

13 (7ā€“21)/13.5 (8ā€“22.2)

7/51 (13.7 %)/6/50 (12 %)

Ā 

8/51 (16 %)/12/50 (24 %)

Ā 

Hochreiter, 2009 [46]

ProSICU

110

285 (72)

0/110

43

PCT LIA

Ā Ā 

5.9 Ā± 1.7/7.9 Ā± 0.5

Ā 

15.5 Ā± 12.5/17.7 Ā± 10.1

Ā Ā 

15/57 (26.3 %)/14/53 (26.4 %)

Ā 

Bouadma, 2010 [42]

PRORATA

601

685 (52)

326/275

394

TRACE

yes

4 (1.7 %)/15 (4.8 %)

10.3 Ā± 7.7/13.3 Ā± 7.6

53

15.9 Ā± 16.1/14.4 Ā± 14.1

106/307 (34.5 %)/97/314 (30.9 %)

20/307 (6.5 %)/16/314 (5.1 %)

65/307 (21.2 %)/64/314 (20.4 %)

92/307 (30 %)/82/314 (26.1 %)

Jensen, 2011 [47]

PASS

1200

3 (0.3)

480/720

666

TRACE

Ā Ā 

6 (3ā€“11)/4 (3ā€“10)

17.9

6 (3ā€“12)/5 (3ā€“11)

Ā Ā 

190/604 (31.5 %)/191/596 (32 %)

231/604 (38.2 %)/220/596 (36.9 %)

  1. Results are expressed as mean Ā± standard deviation or median (interquartile range) unless otherwise indicated.
  2. AB = antibiotics; LOS = length of stay; PCT = procalcitonin; PCT LIA = luminescence immunoassay; PCT-Q = semiquantitative immunochromatographic method; TRACE = time-resolved amplified cryptate emission.