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Influence of procalcitonin on decision to start antibiotic treatment in patients with a lower respiratory tract infection: insight from the observational multicentric ProREAL surveillance

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Abstract

Procalcitonin (PCT)-guided antibiotic stewardship is a successful strategy to decrease antibiotic use. We assessed if clinical judgement affected compliance with a PCT-algorithm for antibiotic prescribing in a multicenter surveillance of patients with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI).

Initiation and duration of antibiotic therapy, adherence to a PCT algorithm and outcome were monitored in consecutive adults with LRTI who were enrolled in a prospective observational quality control. We correlated initial clinical judgment of the treating physician with algorithm compliance and assessed the influence of PCT on the final decision to initiate antibiotic therapy.

PCT levels correlated with physicians’ estimates of the likelihood of bacterial infection (p for trend <0.02). PCT influenced the post-test probability of antibiotic initiation with a greater effect in patients with non-pneumonia LRTI (e.g., for bronchitis: −23 % if PCT ≤ 0.25 μg/L and +31 % if PCT > 0.25 μg/L), in European centers (e.g., in France −22 % if PCT ≤ 0.25 μg/L and +13 % if PCT > 0.25 μg/L) and in centers, which had previous experience with the PCT-algorithm (−16 % if PCT ≤ 0.25 μg/L and +19 % if PCT > 0.25 μg/L). Algorithm non-compliance, i.e. antibiotic prescribing despite low PCT-levels, was independently predicted by the likelihood of a bacterial infection as judged by the treating physician. Compliance was significantly associated with identification of a bacterial etiology (p = 0.01).

Compliance with PCT-guided antibiotic stewardship was affected by geographically and culturally-influenced subjective clinical judgment. Initiation of antibiotic therapy was altered by PCT levels. Differential compliance with antibiotic stewardship efforts contributes to geographical differences in antibiotic prescribing habits and potentially influences antibiotic resistance rates.

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Acknowledgement

We are grateful to all of the patients, physicians and nursing staff from the centers who participated in this survey.

Conflict of Interest

Drs Albrich, Schuetz, and Mueller have received support from BRAHMS AG to attend meetings and fulfill speaking engagements. Dr Amin has received speaking honoraria from bioMérieux. Drs Albrich and Mueller have received support from bioMérieux to attend meetings. Dr Mueller has served as a consultant to and received research support from BRAHMS AG and bioMérieux.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University Department, Kantonsspital Aarau, Tellstrasse, CH-5001, Aarau, Switzerland

    F. Dusemund, B. Bucher, S. Meyer, K. Regez, R. Bossart, U. Schild, B. Müller & W. C. Albrich

  2. Division of Medicine, Bürgerspital Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland

    R. Thomann

  3. Division of Medicine, Kantonsspital Olten, Olten, Switzerland

    F. Kühn & S. Bassetti

  4. Division of Medicine, Spital Uster, Uster, Switzerland

    M. Sprenger & E. Baechli

  5. Division of Pulmonology, Klinik Barmelweid, Barmelweid, Switzerland

    T. Sigrist

  6. Medical University Department, Kantonsspital Liestal, Liestal, Switzerland

    M. Schwietert

  7. Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater, FL, USA

    D. Amin

  8. Division of Medicine, Hôpital Pitié-Salpétriêre, Paris, France

    P. Hausfater

  9. Baume-les-Dames, France

    E. Carre

  10. Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA

    P. Schuetz

  11. Service des Maladies Infectieuses Centre Hospitalier de la Région d’Annecy, Annecy, France

    J. Gaillat

  12. Division of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    R. Thomann

Authors
  1. F. Dusemund
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  2. B. Bucher
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  3. S. Meyer
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  13. E. Carre
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  14. P. Schuetz
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  18. U. Schild
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  19. B. Müller
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  20. W. C. Albrich
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For the ProREAL study team

Corresponding author

Correspondence to W. C. Albrich.

Additional information

F. Dusemund, B. Bucher and S. Meyer are equally contributing first authors. B. Müller and W. C. Albrich are equally contributing senior authors.

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Dusemund, F., Bucher, B., Meyer, S. et al. Influence of procalcitonin on decision to start antibiotic treatment in patients with a lower respiratory tract infection: insight from the observational multicentric ProREAL surveillance. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 32, 51–60 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1713-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1713-8

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