Table 5.
Procalcitonin changes at various time points in patients with bacterial sepsis according to the outcome
| Survivors | Nonsurvivors | P value | |
| PCT at D1 (n = 180; 129 S, 51 NS)a | 21.7 (52.0) | 43.0 (107.4) | 0.30 |
| PCT at D2 (n = 163; 117 S, 46 NS)a | 25.7 (41.5) | 43.9 (76.3) | 0.13 |
| ΔPCT D1–D2 | +1.8 (35.9) | +4.8 (44.6) | 0.44 |
| PCT at D3 (n = 164; 117 S, 47 NS)a | 21.3 (41.0) | 40.8 (85.7) | 0.04 |
| ΔPCT D2–D3 | -4.5 (24.0) | +5.4 (52.3) | <0.01 |
| PCT at D4 (n = 121; 80 S, 41 NS)a | 14.0 (29.1) | 34.9 (66.6) | <0.01 |
| ΔPCT D1–D4 | -3.2 (38.8) | -14.1 (97.8) | 0.05 |
| ΔPCT D3–D4 | -5.9 (14.8) | -13.1 (28.2) | 0.06 |
S, survivors; NS, nonsurvivors; PCT, procalcitonin; D1, day sepsis is diagnosed; ΔPCT D1–D2, procalcitonin decrease between day 2 and day 1 after the onset of sepsis, and so forth. aMissing data are due to insufficient serum samples or death of patients within the 1-day, 2-day or 3-day period following the onset of sepsis.