Table 4.
Performance of Testing Methods in Identification of Infection (Yes vs. No) Relative to the Culture Identification
| Method | Number patients, N(%) | Sensitivity | Specificity | Positive Predictive Value (PPV) | Negative Predictive Value (NPV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Culture | 537 | ||||
| Pathology | 503 (93.7%) | 34/160 (21.2%) | 317/343 (92.4%) | 34/60 (56.7%) | 317/443 (71.6%) |
| ESR | 376 (70.0%) | 29/135 (21.5%) | 183/241 (75.9%) | 29/87 (33.3%) | 183/289 (63.3%) |
| CRP | 346 (64.4%) | 27/128 (21.1%) | 173/218 (79.4%) | 27/72 (37.5%) | 173/274 (63.1%) |
| WBC | 501 (93.3%) | 7/161 (4.4%) | 328/340 (96.5%) | 7/19 (36.8%) | 328/482 (68.0%) |
| PMN | 479 (89.2%) | 3/155 (1.9%) | 314/324 (96.9%) | 3/13 (23.1%) | 314/466 (67.4%) |
| Aspiration | 34 (6.3%) | 7/16 (43.8%) | 17/18 (94.4%) | 7/8 (87.5%) | 17/26 (65.4%) |
| Bone scan | 53 (9.9%) | 1/20 (5%) | 33/33 (100%) | 1/1 (100%) | 33/52 (63.5%) |