Procal and advance COVID

 Q:  Procalcitonin is a reliable indicator in advanced COVID-19 patients to predict superimposed bacterial infection?

A) True

B) False

Answer: B

Literature for COVID-19 is constantly evolving. So far there is no indication that secondary bacterial infection is a norm in advanced COVID-19. In suspected cases, standard management with blood and sputum cultures and initiation of antibiotics is appropriate. COVID-19 cohort of patients from Wuhan, China showed that relying solely on procalcitonin is not appropriate as elevated procalcitonin levels have been reported in advanced COVID-19 patients without any specific indication of secondary bacterial infection.

#infectious-diseases 

#COVID-19

References:

1. Wang D, Hu B, Hu C, et al. Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA 2020; 323:1061. 

 2. Guan WJ, Ni ZY, Hu Y, et al. Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1708. 

 3. Wu C, Chen X, Cai Y, et al. Risk Factors Associated With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Death in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA Intern Med 2020; 180:934. 

4. Zhou F, Yu T, Du R, et al. Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet 2020; 395:1054.