Use Of Procalcitonin Level For Guidance of The Treatment of Suspected Community Acquired Pneumonia

Completed

• Conditions: Pneumonia; Radiographic Lung Infiltrates
• Interventions: Other: Procalcitonin level, caregiver informed

• Registration Number: NCT00914550
• Lead Sponsor: Winthrop University Hospital

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to learn if a blood test is helpful to the doctors in deciding whether you need antibiotic therapy for possible pneumonia. The blood test is called a Procalcitonin level and sometimes the test reflects infection with certain bacteria (germs). When the doctors learn the results of these blood tests, they may be able to stop some of the antibiotic medications that they may have given to the patients. The study is designed, so that on a randomized basis (50/50 chance) the results from measuring Procalcitonin will be given to the patients' doctor. When the doctor receives these results, he/she may use this information, along with other information, to decide whether to continue antibiotic therapy.

Detailed Description

To evaluate the usefulness of serum Procalcitonin level measured to guide the antibiotic treatment of patients with radiographic lung infiltrates.The subjects involved in the study will be divided in two arms ,study arm where the caregivers will know the result of Procalcitonin level and they can change /withheld the antibiotic for the subjects.In other arm only investigators will know the Procalcitonin level. We expect to enroll 100 patients.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2009-06
• Study First Submitted: 2009-06-04
• Study First Submitted QC: 2009-06-04
• Study First Posted: 2009-06-05
• Primary Completion: 2012-09
• Study Completion: 2012-09
• Status Verified: 2014-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-12-12
• Last Update Posted: 2014-12-15

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 47

Inclusion Criteria

• Adults
• New radiographic findings consistent with the presence of infiltrates
• Antibiotic therapy

Exclusion Criteria

• Critically ill patients on admission

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Procalcitonin level, caregiver informed	Procalcitonin level, caregiver informed	Procalcitonin level for patients with lung infiltrates:caregivers know/ do not know results

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Differences in antibiotic discontinuation as an effect of the caregivers learning Procalcitonin levels for the therapy of new radiographic lung infiltrates	1 year

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Winthrop-University Hospital; 🇺🇸 Mineola, New York, United States