Daily Monitoring of C-Reactive Protein to Identify ICU Infections
Author Information
Author(s): Póvoa Pedro, Coelho Luís, Almeida Eduardo, Fernandes Antero, Mealha Rui, Moreira Pedro, Sabino Henrique
Primary Institution: Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal
Hypothesis
Can daily measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP), temperature, and white cell count (WCC) help in the early identification of ICU-acquired infections?
Conclusion
Daily CRP monitoring and recognizing CRP patterns can help predict ICU-acquired infections.
Supporting Evidence
- Infected patients showed a significant increase in CRP and temperature compared to noninfected patients.
- A maximum daily CRP variation >4.1 mg/dl was a good marker of infection prediction.
- Sensitivity for infection prediction was 92.1% when combining CRP variation and concentration.
Takeaway
Doctors can check a blood test called CRP every day to see if a patient in the ICU might have an infection. If the CRP level goes up a lot, it means there's a high chance of infection.
Methodology
A prospective observational cohort study was conducted over 14 months with patients admitted for 72 hours or longer, divided into infected and noninfected groups based on specific criteria.
Limitations
The study was a single-center observational study and only included ICU-acquired infections.
Participant Demographics
Patients were aged 18 and older, with a mix of infected (n=35) and noninfected (n=28) individuals.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
0.752–0.933
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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