Background: Identification of pathogens causing community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in hospitalized patients has improved with the utilization of nasopharyngeal (NP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Literature shows that 20-25% of pathogens are identified when using urine antigens, sputum and blood cultures, and can improve up to 70% when adding NP PCR for viruses, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus […]

Background: Procalcitonin (PCT) testing has been shown in randomized trials to decrease antibiotic exposure and be a reliable predictor of clinical response to antibiotics in lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and sepsis. Although studied to guide antibiotic discontinuation in LRTI and sepsis, optimal strategies for introducing PCT into “real-world” clinical use are unknown. Our study […]

Background: The utility of procalcitonin (PCT) in pediatrics is debated. Proposed diseases in which PCT elevation is thought to be suggestive of a bacterial process include meningitis, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, neonatal fever, and sepsis of unknown source. However, elevated PCT is non-specific for bacterial infection and the strength of the test is generally felt […]