AbstractContext: There exists a deficiency in literature regarding the importance of procalcitonin in predicting mortality in sepsis patients. Aim: To determine the role of initial procalcitonin in predicting 7-day mortality in sepsis patients. Materials and methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 200 sepsis patients admitted to the Emergency Department of a Medical College Hospital at Kochi. Blood culture samples and serum procalcitonin samples were withdrawn immediately and sent to lab. Mortality data of those patients were charted at the end of 7 days. Procalcitonin values were compared in both survivors and non survivors using paired Student t-test. p < 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: Out of the 200 patients, 131 were males and 69 were females. 17% expired and 83% survived at the end of 7 days of hospital stay. Mean procalcitonin value in survivors and non survivors were 16.41 ng/ml and 23.09 ng/ml respectively, which showed statistical significance [p-value = 0.026]. Conclusion: Initial procalcitonin plays an important role in predicting 7-day mortality in sepsis patients.
Keywords: Sepsis; Procalcitonin; Mortality.