Indicative significance of serum procalcitonin in antimicrobial therapy for patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis

  Objective  To systematically evaluate clinical significance of procalcitonin (PCT) as an indicator for antimicrobial treatment for patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).

  Methods  Using medical subject headings (MeSH) including “procalcitonin”, “pulmonary disease, chronic obstructive”, and “randomized controlled trial”, we searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library databases for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published up to June 2020. Two researchers screened retrieved literatures independently according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and then extracted relevant information. Statistical analysis was conducted using STATA 12.0 software.

  Results  Six RCTs, with a total of 1 096 patients, were included in the analysis. The results showed that the prescription rate of antimicrobial drugs in the PCT group was 27% lower than that in the control group (relative risk = 0.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.58 – 0.92; I ² = 65.3%).

  Conclusion  Serum PCT is an important indicator for antibacterial treatment in AECOPD patients but the specific critical value for evaluating antibacterial therapy needs to be studied further.