Prospective evaluation of procalcitonin in sepsis in the Illawarra area of Australia: PEPSIA study.

Introduction: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a precursor of the hormone calcitonin and has been proposed as a marker of infection in critically ill patients. We evaluated the role of procalcitonin in the early detection of sepsis in an Australian intensive care-high dependency unit (ICU/HDU).

Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled 204 consecutive patients admitted to the ICU/HDU of Wollongong Hospital, NSW, over a 3-month period, October to December 2001.