Key result
Intrapleural injection of OK-432 significantly increased median serum procalcitonin levels from 0.155 to 1.470 ng/mL (P=0.009), limiting its utility for distinguishing concurrent bacterial infection.
Why the study?
Does chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432 increase serum procalcitonin levels in patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax?
Observational (n=26)
No
Does chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432 increase serum procalcitonin levels in patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax?
Absolute Event Rate: 1.47% vs 0.155%
p-value: p=0.009
Serum procalcitonin levels increase significantly after OK-432 pleurodesis in the absence of bacterial infection, limiting its utility as a biomarker for concurrent infection in this setting.
Clinicians should interpret procalcitonin cautiously after OK-432 pleurodesis; Level 3 data leaves open broader diagnostic impact.
INTRODUCTION: In patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax, fever and elevated level of white blood cell count (WBC) are frequently observed after chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432, which make it difficult to differentiate whether it was from the side effects of OK-432 or concurrent bacterial infection. OBJECTIVE: Procalcitonin (PCT) levels were measured before and after pleurodesis so as to discuss whether PCT is useful for distinguishing between the side effects of OK-432 and concurrent bacterial infection. METHOD: Twenty-six patients with refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax who underwent chemical pleurodesis with intrapleural injection of OK-432 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between August 2010 and August 2012 were included in our study. Levels of PCT and WBC were measured before and after pleurodesis. RESULT: Of all 26 patients, 22 patients were with refractory pleural effusion, and the other four were with pneumothorax. The median serum levels of PCT and WBC elevated from 0.155 to 1.470 ng/mL (P = 0.009) and from 5.920 to 10.475 × 10(9) /L (P = 0.000), respectively. No patient was given antibiotics and fever subsided. CONCLUSION: Intrapleural injection of OK-432 could increase the serum level of PCT and WBC with no bacterial infection. The serum PCT level may not be useful to distinguish whether fever was caused by the side effects of OK-432 or concurrent bacterial infection.
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Xu et al. (2013) conducted an observational in Refractory pleural effusion or pneumothorax (n=26). Intrapleural injection of OK-432 vs. Baseline (before pleurodesis) was evaluated on Serum procalcitonin (PCT) level (p=0.009). Intrapleural injection of OK-432 significantly increased median serum procalcitonin levels from 0.155 to 1.470 ng/mL (P=0.009), limiting its utility for distinguishing concurrent bacterial infection.
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