[Procalcitonin as a marker of the postoperative infection in cardiovascular surgery].

Background: Procalcitonin( PCT) is a new diagnostic marker of severe bacterial infection and sepsis.
Purpose: To evaluate the usefulness of PCT in patients with suspicion of bacterial infection after cardiovascular surgery.
Methods: From January 2012 to December 2012, 150 consecutive patients after cardiovascular surgery were studied retrospectively. Postoperative infection was diagnosed under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guideline for healthcare associated infection, and biomarker levels and microbiological specimen were evaluated.
Results: Only blood stream infection group revealed higher PCT levels( median 5.0 ng/ml) than non blood stream infection group( median 0.1 ng/ml)[p<0.01].
Conclusion: PCT is the best biomarker available for the clinical diagnosis of blood stream infection after cardiovascular surgery.