Procalcitonin
Ordering Recommendation
Use to assess risk of progression to severe sepsis and septic shock in critically ill patients upon admission to ICU. Use in conjunction with other laboratory findings.
Methodology
Immunoassay
Performed
Sun-Sat
Reported
Within 24 hours
New York DOH Approval Status
Specimen Required
The same specimen type (serum, plasma) should be used throughout the patient's clinical course.
Plasma Separator Tube (PST) or Serum Separator Tube (SST).
Allow serum to sit for 15-20 minutes for proper clot formation and to ensure the absence of fibrin in the serum which can interfere with this assay. Separate from cells ASAP or within 2 hours of collection. Transfer 2 mL serum or plasma to an ARUP Standard Transport Tube. (Min: 0.3 mL)
Refrigerated.
Specimens collected in citrate anticoagulant.
After separation from cells: Ambient: 24 hours; Refrigerated: 5 days; Frozen: 15 days
Reference Interval
Less than 0.07 ng/mL
Interpretive Data
A correction has been applied to optimize cutoffs established for the BRAHMS PCT sensitive KRYPTOR assay.
Procalcitonin > 2.00 ng/mL: Procalcitonin levels above 2.00 ng/mL on the first day of ICU admission represent a high risk for progression to severe sepsis and/or septic shock.
Procalcitonin < 0.50 ng/mL: Procalcitonin levels below 0.50 ng/mL on the first day of ICU admission represent a low risk for progression to severe sepsis and/or septic shock.
If the procalcitonin measurement is performed shortly after the systemic infection process has started (usually less than 6 hours), these values may still be low. As various non-infectious conditions are known to induce procalcitonin as well, procalcitonin levels between 0.50 ng/mL and 2.00 ng/mL should be reviewed carefully to take into account the specific clinical background and condition(s) of the individual patient.
FDA
Note
Procalcitonin levels below 0.50 ng/mL do not exclude an infection, because localized infections (without systemic signs) may also be associated with such low levels.
Hotline History
CPT Codes
84145
Components
Component Test Code* | Component Chart Name | LOINC |
---|---|---|
0020764 | Procalcitonin | 33959-8 |
Aliases
- antibiotic adequacy
- PCT
- Procalcitonin Sepsis Biomarker
- ProCT