PCT and pneumonia: worth it?

Clinical Scenario

A 78 yo woman is brought from an assisted-living facility because of dyspnea and fever. 
She has an history of dyabetes and heart failure. She is confused, tachipnoic, tachicardic and febrile with rales on the back. Chest X ray shows an infiltrate. PCT value is 1,5 µg/L. 



Does PCT provide prognostic information concerning mortality risk or adverse event in pneumonia? 


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Does procalcitonin have a role in the management of acute appendicitis?

Clinical scenario

A 18 yo man comes to the ED in the morning because of low abdominal pain, fever and nausea. At palpation there is mild pain in the right inferior quadrant, not guarding.

Could procalcitonin (PTC) helps to exclude quickly an acute appendicitis?

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