Cardiothoracic & vascular anesthesia
Procalcitonin and interleukin-6 to diagnose infection in cardiac surgery patients with hyperinflammation: a two-centre, prospective cross-sectional study
Authors' conclusion
PCT did not meet clinically important thresholds, offering no valuable diagnostic information in patients with suspected infection early after cardiac surgery, whereas IL-6 did.
Study context
- Population
- Elective cardiac surgery patients suspected of early-onset infection (abnormal body temperature, blood cultures drawn, or antibiotics within first 3 postoperative days)21 (7%) infection confirmed
- Participants
- 284 patients
- Comparison
- Procalcitonin (PCT) vs IL-6 for diagnosing infection
- Outcome
- Diagnostic performance of PCT for infection (-LR <0.2 to rule out, +LR >5 to rule in deemed clinically relevant)
- Follow-up
- At the time infection was suspected
Methodological detailsprospective, cross-sectional, two-centre
- Prospective
- Cross-sectional
- Two-centre
Performance
As reported in the abstract
Diagnostic performance for infection
| Test or model | AUC | Minimum -LR | Maximum +LR |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT | 0.59 (95% CI 0.47-0.71) | 0.25 at 0.15 μg L-1 | 2.07 at 7.16 μg L-1 |
PCT
AUC0.59 (95% CI 0.47-0.71)
Minimum -LR0.25 at 0.15 μg L-1
Maximum +LR2.07 at 7.16 μg L-1
Further findings
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| IL-6 diagnostic performance for infection | IL-6 AUC 0.70 (95% CI 0.59-0.80) · -LR 0.15 at 73 pg ml-1 · +LR 5.37 at 531 pg ml-1 · ruled out 82 (29%) · ruled in three (1%) |
C-reactive protein (CRP), leucocytes and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR)
- CRP, leukocytes, and NLR did not differentiate between infected and non-infected patients
Original publication
Procalcitonin and interleukin-6 to diagnose infection in cardiac surgery patients with hyperinflammation: a two-centre, prospective cross-sectional study. BJA Open. Published 19 February 2026. doi:10.
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