Guideline for Antibiotic Use in Adults with Community-acquired Pneumonia

Lee, Mi Suk; Oh, Jee Youn; Kang, Cheol-In; Kim, Eu Suk; Park, Sunghoon; Rhee, Chin Kook; Jung, Ji Ye; Jo, Kyung-Wook; Heo, Eun Young; Park, Dong-Ah; Suh, Gee Young; Kiem, Sungmin

Repeated procalcitonin measurement may help predict a patient's prognosis. When procalcitonin levels of 100 patients admitted to an ICU due to severe community-acquired pneumonia were measured at one and three days of hospitalization, an increase in procalcitonin levels at three days was identified as a significant prognostic factor indicative of poor prognoses [208] . In another study, of 394 patients hospitalized due to community-acquired pneumonia, those who clinically stabilized within 72 hours, and whose procalcitonin levels repeatedly measured at 72 hours were below 0.25 ng/mL did not develop serious complications [205] . When procalcitonin, CRP, mild regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR pro-ANP) levels were continuously measured in 75 patients with pneumonia, high levels of MR pro-ANP and procalcitonin levels were consistently observed in patients who developed complications or died [209] .