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Case Study
Differential Diagnosis: Is it Bacterial Infection or Something Else?
Michael R. Broyles
PharmD – Director of Medical Affairs, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Learn more about implementing procalcitonin testing
in your hospital.
Explore similar topics
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Case Study | When can I safely stop antibiotics?
Learn how procalcitonin was used to aid antibiotic discontinuation in a patient with a bacterial infection that led to sepsis.
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Case Study | Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI): Is it Viral or Bacterial?
Differentiating bacterial from viral infection can be challenging
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Case Study | COVID-19 positive, rule-out bacterial pneumonia
Learn how procalcitonin was used to assess for bacterial co-infection in a COVID-19+ patient in this case study.
Takeaway #1
Lactate is a marker of anaerobic metabolism and has a low sensitivity and specificity for bacterial infection. It should not guide antibiotictherapy.
Takeaway #2
If lactate is elevated with a bacterial infection, the patient is likely septic or in septic shock.
Takeaway #3
Lactate provides information about perfusion not bacterial infection. PCT provides information about bacterial infection, not perfusion.
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Related Resources
Antibiotic Stewardship
Learn how antibiotic stewardship can help protect patients. Discover how to prevent the overuse of antibiotics to combat resistance.
What is Procalcitonin?
What is procalcitonin (PCT)? Procalcitonin is the most sensitive biomarker for bacterial specificity providing results to determine bacterial infection.
B·R·A·H·M·S Clinical Portal
The B·R·A·H·M·S Clinical Portal is your on-demand training platform for learning about procalcitonin (PCT) testing, from use in differential diagnosis and antibiotic treatment decisions to making bacterial co-infection assessments.
Procalcitonin (PCT) Learning Center
Explore our learning center to find educational resources and FAQs on procalcitonin (PCT) testing, bacterial infections, antibiotic resistance, and more.
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