Biomarkers May Predict Treatment Failure in Severe Community-Acquired Pneumonia

A combination of biomarkers, measured at admission and 48 hours later, may help predict treatment failure early in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP), according to new research findings. 

To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed data on 107 patients from a single intensive care unit who had SCAP.

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The researchers evaluated the participants’ biomarkers within the first 12 hours of the first antibiotic dose (D1) and again 48 hours later (D3).

The primary outcomes were mortality or lack of improvement in Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score by 2 or more points within 5 days of treatment. 

Overall, the researchers found positive results.

“A model based on Charlson’s score and a panel of biomarkers […] had good discrimination for primary outcome in both derivation (AUC, 0.82) and validation (AUC, 0.76) samples and was well calibrated,” the researchers wrote.

The panel of biomarkers comprised procalcitonin on D1 and D3, B-natriuretic peptide on D1, and D-dimer and lactate on D3.

And because it demonstrated good discrimination for primary outcome, the PRoFeSs score—a point score system that is built on the estimates of regression coefficients—may recognize patients with poor short-term prognosis.

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Pereira JM, Laszczyńska O, Azevedo A, et al. Early prediction of treatment failure in severe community-acquired pneumonia: the PRoFeSs score. J Crit Care. 2019;53:38-45. doi:10.1016/j.jcrc.2019.05.020.