Procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker in hospital acquired septicemia in neonatal intensive care unit (NICUS) and pediatric intensive care unit (PICUS)in Aswan university hospital

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening illness that results from an infection that damages tissues and organs. Sepsis causes shock, multiple organ failure, and death, especially if not detected and treated swiftly. The most recent definition of sepsis is infection with evidence of organ failure. Objectives: to evaluate the use of biomarkers for early detection of septicemia and its prognosis in order to guide antibiotic treatment. Patient and methods:This is a case control study that was done at the pediatric intensive care unit and the neonatal intensive care unit in Aswan University Hospital for 20 patients with suspected hospital-acquired septicemia and 20 non-septic patients as a control. Results: The mean levels of procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were considerably greater in the sepsis group than the control group, with a consistent decline over time in accordance with treatment and strong predictive power.Conclusion: Procalcitonin and C-reactive protein may be useful biomarkers for detecting nosocomial sepsis and predicting its outcome.