Project
Procalcitonin (PCT) is an established biomarker that provides unique additional information on the severity of bacterial infection. Several smaller clinical trials have demonstrated that daily PCT-monitoring helps identify resolution of bacterial infection. Recently the largest study on PCT, the Dutch SAPS-I trial has been concluded. SAPS-I clearly demonstrated reduced antibiotic use with under PCT-guidance.
The next trial, SAPS-II, we plan to conduct in Dutch, German and Belgian ICU’s. The goal of SAPS-II is to verify with PCT-measurements if continuous antibiotic infusion is superior to conventional intermittent infusion. If continuous antibiotic administration leads to more rapid clearance of infection, this may constitute a next step in reducing antibiotic treatment duration. The key hypothesis to be tested in SAPS-II is that PCT will decrease earlier in patients with continuous antibiotic administration compared with intermittent administration.
Supervisors
- Maarten Nijsten (Dpt of Critical Care, UMC Groningen, Netherlands)
- Dr. ir. H.J.M. Harmsen, Molecular Bacteriology, MMBI, UMCG
Collaborations
Bhanu Sinha (Medical Microbiology, UMC Groningen, Netherlands)
Dylan de Lange (Dpt of Critical Care, UMC Utrecht, Netherlands)
ThermoFisher Scientific, the Netherlands
Relevant publications
Keywords
antimicrobial resistance, therapeutic drug monitoring, biomarkers, trial design, procalcitonin, antibiotic stewardship