PCT-guided antibiotic therapy supports better patient outcomes and Antimicrobial Stewardship
By Sandeep Pahwa, Senior Global Market Manager, Emergency & Critical Care
Imagine this scenario: clinicians in your hospital are treating a patient in urgent need – for example, a suspected sepsis or lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI). Your lab will provide identification and antimicrobial susceptibility (ID/AST) results as fast as possible to help orient antibiotic treatment appropriately – helping the patient get better and aligning with your institution’s Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) Program.
But this patient needs help now! So, before receiving the ID/AST results, the medical team will likely decide treatment empirically, based on experience and information such as clinical symptoms, radiology and biology. But there’s a “secret weapon” they can use in complement: VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT™, which determines levels of Procalcitonin (PCT), a biomarker for bacterial infections
VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT™ – benefits all along the length of the patient pathway:
In just 20 minutes, VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT™ in conjunction with clinical judgement provides differentiation between bacterial and viral infections, supporting appropriate antibiotic initiation;
In the initial phase of patient treatment, PCT also helps assess severity, prognosis and probability of bacterial infection.
For a critically ill patient being treated with antibiotics, PCT tests can be performed again to help support more AMS-friendly decisions:
During the monitoring phase, PCT levels can suggest whether de-escalation may be appropriate, and;
PCT can help shorten treatment duration by helping ensure antibiotics can be safely discontinued, reducing potential harm to patients.
The benefits of VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT™ can be seen in concert with bioMérieux’s range of diagnostic solutions addressing the length of the patient pathway:
Want to know more about using VIDAS® B.R.A.H.M.S. PCT™ as an AMS “secret weapon”?
Head to bioMérieux’s virtual booth and check out page 3 of the Planet ID flipbook. In it, we outline and demonstrate the benefits of PCT in the management of sepsis and LTRI.
